SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Men's water polo swept its Saturday matchups after defeating No. 9 Pepperdine and Air Force on day two of the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament. Its biggest win of the season to date, Harvard has now won nine of its last ten games.
It's second-ranked win of the season, Harvard has now defeated two top-15 teams.
No. 19 Harvard outlasted No. 9 Pepperdine in an exciting game at the Sullivan Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon, grinding out a 16–15 win. The Crimson offense came roaring out of the gates as both sides traded goals. Harvard held a slim 6-5 edge through eight minutes.
Dean Strauser and Jack Burghardt were forces all afternoon, each rattling home four goals to lead the Crimson attack. Lukas Peabody added a hat trick, while Tyler Hogan, Mason Hunt, Connor Kim, and Vilas Sogaard-Srikrishnan chipped in one apiece to keep Pepperdine chasing. The Crimson trailed 14–11 heading into the fourth quarter but netted five goals in the final quarter to pick up its biggest win of the season to date.
In the afternoon slate, the Crimson offense wasted zero time heating up, pouring in six first-quarter goals to grab the early edge. Air Force countered in the second to briefly narrow the gap, yet Harvard stormed out of halftime with a 6–3 third-quarter burst that put the game back in Crimson control.
Jack Burghardt led the offense with five goals, with six other Crimson players also finding the back of the net multiple times. Tyler Hogan and Jacob Tsotadze each delivered hat tricks, while Lukas Peabody, Connor Kim, Vilas Sogaard-Srikrishnan, and Dean Strauser all tallied twice to round out Harvard's scoring punch. Harvard outscored the Falcons in two of the four quarters, using steady pressure and depth to keep Air Force from closing the gap late.
GAME 1: HARVARD 16, PEPPERDINE 15
- Jack Burghardt led the Crimson with four goals and one assist for a five-point outing.
- Tyler Hogan scored two goals and added an assist for three points.
- Lukas Peabody scored once and added an assist.
- Connor Kim tallied one goal and four assists for five points.
- Vilas Sogaard-Srikrishnan added one goal and four assists for five points.
- Mason Hunt scored once and added an assist.
- Strauser scored four goals on seven shots with two assists.
- Jack Tsotadze added two assists.
- Tanner Furtak made nine saves in goal.
GAME 2: HARVARD 19, AIR FORCE 16
NEXT UP
Harvard plays hosts Santa Clara tomorrow at 12:20 p.m. ET before returning to the east coast.
