BROOKLYN/NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The Harvard University men’s water polo team picked up the program’s Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) victories of the season with an 18-14 victory at Long Island University in Brooklyn before upending Iona University, 18-7, in New Rochelle.
Harvard, which moves to 5-10 on the season and 2-1 in the NWPC, never trailed at LIU and led 10-6 at halftime before needing to withstand several runs by the Sharks in the third and fourth quarters to escape with the win. Dean Strauser and Jack Burghardt led the Crimson with four goals apiece.
The Crimson got the scoring started with back-to-back 5-meter penalty shots by Strauser and Jacob Tsotadze.
Harvard pulled away late in the second quarter to take a 10-6 lead at halftime on a goal from Felix Pal.
LIU outscored Harvard 5-2 in the third quarter to trim the Crimson’s lead to one heading to the final frame.
However, the two sides played even through the midway point of the fourth quarter until back-to-back goals from Connor Kim and Strauser extended the Harvard lead to three on the way to a four-score victory.
Burghardt (four), Strauser (four), Kim (three), Lukas Peabody (three), Tyler Hogan, Pal, Geoff Slutzky and Tsotadze all scored in the victory with goalkeeper Oliver Price finishing with eight saves.
In game two at Iona, the Crimson and Gaels played to a four-all tie by the end of the first quarter. Kim scored the first two goals of the second quarter and the Crimson led the rest of the way. Kim led Harvard in scoring for the game with six goals, including four in the fourth quarter.
Tied at four-all after eight minutes of competition, Harvard gained some breathing room as Kim opened the second quarter with back-to-back goals before Peabody dented the twine for the second time in the game to cap a 3-0 run.
Burghardt scored three times in the third quarter, two on a 3-0 Harvard run to open the frame, with his last to push the Crimson’s lead to four and stop a brief run by the Gaels.
Iona prevented Harvard from pulling away as goalie Eric Caplener came up with back-to-back saves on a pair of Crimson five-meter attempts.
Kim bested his second-quarter performance by starting the fourth with three consecutive goals as Harvard extended its lead on the way to an 11-score win.
Kim (six), Burghardt (five), Peabody (three), Strauser (two), Pal and Vilas Sogaard-Srikrishnan combined for Harvard’s 18 goals to support an 11 save performance by goalkeeper Jonas Ransford.
Information courtesy Harvard University Athletics Communications
