Tetreault’s Five Scores Lead Crimson to Late Victory

In last season’s matchup against Brown, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team fought back from a seven-goal deficit but was unable to finish the comeback, falling, 11-10.

This year, Crimson sophomore midfielder Danielle Tetreault made sure that history didn’t repeat itself.

Tetreault tallied a game-high five goals to jumpstart a successful rally and to help the Crimson to a critical 12-9 win at Brown last Friday.

“[Tetreault] started us off and brought us back in the game,” tri-captain Sam McMahon said. “She was incredible on both ends of the field.”

Determined to strike early, Tetreault scored Harvard’s first two goals off of free-position shots in the opening five minutes of the game.

But for the majority of the first half, the Crimson struggled to find offensive opportunities, and the Bears jumped out to a 7-2 lead with 4:44 left in the half.

Just when it seemed that the Crimson was headed for another disappointing loss to the Bears, Tetreault and the other Harvard players took a stand.

The sophomore trio of Tetreault, Jennifer VanderMeulen, and Nina Kucharczyk each scored once within a span of two minutes, cutting Brown’s lead to two before halftime.

“It was a big Ivy game,” Tetreault said. “We put a few goals away and just kept it going.”

Tetreault began the second half in attack mode, scoring two quick goals less than seven minutes in to even the score at seven. That left her teammates with ample time to continue the charge and put the Bears away.

“We knew that was a critical moment,” junior Jess Halpern said. “That goal from [Tetreault] was huge. We knew we needed to build on that and continue the momentum.”

“I think all of her goals just proved that we could win,” Kucharczyk added. “She shot five-for-six, and that game-tying goal just showed us that we needed to keep going. She was the momentum builder and the uniting force.”

Feeding off of Tetreault’s energy, the Crimson scored five more goals and kept the Bears scoreless until garbage time.

“It was a much-needed win for us,” Tetreault said. “We made a few mistakes in the first half and went down by a few goals. But when we were able to get more draw controls and offensive chances, we were able to put the ball away.”

After scoring 20 goals and tallying 10 assists in her freshman year, Tetreault continues to serve as a reliable all-around player for Harvard.

She is currently the Crimson’s second-leading scorer and is tied for first on the team with three assists.

But among all of her talents, her speed and agility may be the most impressive.

“Danielle is one of the best dodgers on our team,” McMahon said. “She can lull you to sleep and just take off [suddenly]. She’s very deceptive and quick to gain positioning in both the front and the side. If [the opponent] leaves her a gap, she’ll take it.”

Those skills were on full display Friday night, even though Tetreault injured her knee in last Sunday’s game against Virginia.

“She’s a warrior,” Kucharczyk said. “She was running up and down the field and taking the ball to the goal.”

“It was her first day coming back,” Halpern added. “But she was still explosive...She killed it.”

Tetreault’s fight is one of the reasons Harvard has been able to battle back from a number of deficits this season.

“We never give up,” Tetreault said. “We have great coaches. When they see something wrong, they help us slow things down by explaining what needs to change.”

After Harvard barely missed out on last season’s Ivy League tournament, Tetreault feels her squad has matured and is ready to take the next step.

“We’re playing with a lot more experience this year,” Tetreault said. “We’re still a young team, but we have a group of players who have been in similar situations. That helped us step up and turn it around.”

Currently 3-1 in Ivy League play, the Crimson is one win away from clinching a postseason berth—a prospect that has Tetreault and her teammates very excited.

“That’s definitely a huge goal for our team this year,” Tetreault said. “Last year, we were put in a position in which we were relying on another team to beat another team in order for us to get in. Now we’re putting ourselves in control and no longer relying on other teams’ records to make the tournament.”