CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 13 Harvard men's water polo topped MIT (7-15, 1-8 NWPC) 16-13 across the river before a 17-8 victory over Connecticut College (1-12, 0-4 NWPC) at Blodgett Pool. The Crimson improved to 22-4, 8-2 NWPC with the pair of conference victories.
Game 1: Harvard 16, MIT 13
The Crimson got out to a quick offensive start on the road, netting seven goals in the first period. Sophomores
Owen Hale and
Mot Stothart led the way with two goals each in the first frame, and Harvard led 7-3 after one. Hale would open the second period with consecutive goals to extend the Crimson lead. Junior
Gabe Putnam would add one just before the half, as Harvard led 11-7 through 16 minutes of play.
The scoring would slow down in the second half, with junior goalie
Noah Hodge making four of his nine saves in the third quarter. Putnam and Stothart would tally two goals each in the second half, with junior
Michael Sonsini assisting on four of the five Harvard second half goals. The Engineers were able to stay within five goals throughout the game, but ultimately fell to the Crimson, 16-13.
Harvard Highlights Game 1
- Sophomores Mot Stothart and Owen Hale led the Crimson with four goals each.
- Junior Michael Sonsini totaled five assists, giving him a team-high 65 on the season.
- Junior Gabe Putnam netted a hat trick to go along with two assists and a steal.
- Junior goalie Noah Hodge made nine saves while tallying four steals.
Game 2: Harvard 17, Conn. College 8
The Crimson headed back to Blodgett Pool for its final regular season home game on the schedule. The Camels had no answer for
Michael Del Mundo early, as the senior fired in the first three goals of the game for Harvard. First-years
Rishi Mohan and
Alex James took control after that, tallying two goals each to give Harvard an 8-4 lead the half.
Junior goalie
Nathan Wu was the story of the second half. Wu made 12 saves on 16 shots faced in the final 16, giving the Camels no route back into the game. Junior
Roger Brockett would add two goals while Del Mundo netted a second half hat trick as well, giving him a game-high six goals.
Harvard Highlights Game 2
Game Notes
- Harvard improves to 24-4. 8-2 NWPC with the victory.
- The Crimson posted a 15-2 home record this regular season.
- Harvard sweeps the season series against MIT, after taking down the Engineers 16-10 on Oct. 10 at Blodgett Pool.
What's Next?
Harvard closes out its regular season tomorrow (Sunday, Nov. 7) with a road contest against No. 20 Brown (17-12, 4-3 NWPC) at 11:00 a.m. (ESPN+).
