CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 11 Harvard men's water polo kicked off its 2021 campaign with a 24-6 victory over Mercyhurst before falling to No. 20 Fordham, 10-8, at the first day of the Bruno Classic at Blodgett Pool.
 
First-year Andrej Basica had a team high seven goals between the two games, and junior Alex Tsotadze led the team with three assists between the two contests. Senior Jackson Enright and sophomore Colin Le both had three steals while junior Noah Hodge made 10 saves in net against Fordham.

Game 1: Harvard 24, Mercyhurst 6
Harvard held a 9-2 lead at halftime as senior Jackson Enright and sophomore Owen Hale each tallied three goals before the break. Junior Michael Sonsini opened the scoring account for the Crimson, while sophomore Kaleb Archer found the back of the net and first-year Andrej Basica converted a five-meter penalty.
 
In the third period, senior Michael Del Mundo and junior Alex Tsotadze both scored twice in quick succession as the Crimson took a 16-2 lead into the fourth. Basica caught fire in the final frame, with four goals in the first three minutes of the period. Sophomores Mot Stothart, Cam Dougherty, Colin Le, Max Keck, and first-years Tyler Zarcu, and Alex James also got on the scoresheet in the second half with goals.

Harvard Highlights Game 1

• First-year Andrej Basica tallied a team-high five goals, an assist and two steals in his first appearance for the Crimson.
• Sophomore Colin Le led the defensive effort for the Crimson with three steals to go along with a goal.
• Sophomore Owen Hale and senior Jackson Enright both scored three first-half goals to go along with two steals each.
• Junior goalkeeper Nathan Wu made six saves along with two steals.

 
Game 2: Fordham 10, Harvard 8
Harvard jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from sophomores Kaleb Archer and Mot Stothart in the first period. Sophomore Owen Hale converted a five-meter penalty shot with just seconds remaining in the first quarter to give the Crimson a 3-2 advantage. Second period goals from sophomore Alexandru Bucur and first-year Alex James saw the Crimson go into the half tied up at 5-5.
 
A pair of goals from first-year Andrej Basica in the second half were not enough for the Crimson. Junior Michael Sonsini also scored his third goal of the season in the third period. Senior Noah Hodge made 10 saves in net to go along with two steals.
 
Harvard Highlights Game 2

• First-year Andrej Basica paced the scoring for Harvard with two goals, including one five-meter penalty conversion.
• Junior Noah Hodge stood tall in net making 10 saves, including nine in the first half.
• Senior Jackson Enright logged three shots to go along with an assist and a steal.

Game Notes

• Thirteen different players got on the scoresheet for the Crimson in game one vs. Mercyhurst.
• The win over the Lakers was the third consecutive opening game win for the program.
• Harvard improved its record against Mercyhurst to 5-2 since 2002.

What's Next? 
Harvard will host a pair of games tomorrow – Sunday, Sept. 5 – at Blodgett Pool when it takes on Wagner College at 10:15 a.m. (ESPN+) before a matchup with Austin College at 12:45 p.m. (ESPN+) to conclude the tournament.