CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 16 Harvard men's water polo won both games on Saturday to begin the 2024 season. Opening with a 17-8 win over Wagner in the morning, Harvard battled back to win a thrilling game against No. 17 CBU 11-10 after
Jack Burghardt scored with .26 seconds left to pick up the second victory of the day for the Crimson.
Coming back from 5-2 early in the game and 10-8 late in the fourth quarter, the Crimson start the Bruno Classic with a pair of wins for the second straight season.
HARVARD 17, WAGNER 8
- James Rozolis-Hill opened the season with a first-quarter hat-trick to help get the Crimson offense off and running.
- The leading goal scorer over the last two seasons, Rozolis-Hill finished game one with six goals as he continues to peruse the all-time program record in goals.
- First-year Dean Strauser opened his career at Blodgett with a hat-trick as well.
- Jake Tsotadze picked up a hat-trick of his own as Rozolis-Hill, Strauser, and Tsotadze combined for 12 of the 17 goals.
- Owen Hale added a pair of goals and two more helpers for a four-point morning.
- Mason Hunt added a goal and two assists.
- Jack Burghardt also found the back of the net twice.
- Oliver Price was stellar in the cage after making 14 saves and picking up a beautiful assist on a play that started in the Crimson zone.
HARVARD 11, CBU 10
- Down 4-2 after the first quarter, Tyler Zarcu scored both Crimson goals in the dying minutes of the opening frame.
- Owen Hale, Mot Stothart, and Jake Tsotadze scored goals in the second quarter to bring the game to a 5-5 tie heading into the break.
- Lukas Peabody, James Rozolis-Hill, and Jack Burghardt scored in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and deliver the Crimson its second win of the day.
NEXT UP
Harvard travels to DeNunzio Pool next weekend for three games at the Princeton Invitational.
