It was déjà vu all over again for the Harvard men’s water polo team on Saturday, as the Crimson (4-15) fell to MIT on an overtime penalty shot at Blodgett Pool for the second consecutive time.

This time, neither team scored during the first overtime period or the first 2:47 of the second.

But with just 13 seconds left, MIT was awarded a penalty shot. The Engineers’ Alexei Zykov took the ball in front of Harvard sophomore goalie Robbie Burmeister. The whistle blew, Zykov threw the ball into the goal and the game was over. MIT won, again.

The last time the two teams faced each other, the Engineers won on a penalty shot in triple overtime. This time, there was much more at stake.

The rest of the season was riding upon the Crimson’s first game of the Northern Division Championships. The winner would advance to the Eastern Championships. The loser would play out the rest of the tournament, but couldn’t advance to Easterns.

“It was a little surprising to end the game on a call like that, especially since that’s the way the last game ended,” senior Will Garrigues said.

Though it came up short, the sixth-seeded Crimson battled the third-seeded Engineers fiercely throughout the lengthy game. The score was tied at six entering the fourth quarter, but MIT tallied two unanswered goals.

Harvard regained the momentum after junior Mike Gerrity converted a penalty shot with 4:58 left in the game.

Crimson freshman Mike Garcia proved to be invaluable yet again by hurling the ball into the left corner of the net on a breakaway just 20 seconds later.

Zykov scored the third MIT goal of the quarter with 3:14 left, but the Engineers were unable to stop the Crimson offense.

Gerrity contributed another goal shortly afterwards by throwing the ball from the left side of the goal into the top right corner, and the teams were tied at nine at the end of regulation play.

Harvard struck first at the start of the game. As if in response to the way it lost the last game, the Crimson scored off a penalty shot from Gerrity with 1:34 left in the quarter.

But the Engineers did not let Harvard hold the lead for long, as Grady Snyder scored 20 seconds later.

After taking a few shots on goal early in the quarter, Harvard junior captain Rick Offsay was finally able to score with 51 seconds left. In one quick, fluid motion, Offsay whipped his arm around his body past a defender and put the ball into the goal.

MIT answered back, with David Lohrey rapidly scoring another goal before the end of the quarter.