Water Polo Finishes 1-3 at Harvard Invite

It may have been Junior Parents Weekend for Harvard, but the Harvard women’s water polo team also found extra fan support from the many visiting freshman, sophomore, and senior parents who also came to support the team this weekend as it hosted the Harvard Invitational at Blodgett Pool.

But despite the extra support, the Crimson went 1-3 on the weekend, falling one by one point to No. 18 Princeton and Iona.

Harvard (8-5) faced two ranked opponents, No. 12 San Jose State and the Tigers, in the first two games of the tournament, in addition to Bucknell and Iona later on.

“We definitely put it all out there this weekend,” said sophomore attacker Shayna Price, who is also a Crimson sports comper. “It was tough playing four games in one weekend, and I think we took each game for what it was worth. I think even though it’s hard to lose games, we did pretty well.”

IONA 11, HARVARD 10

In its final contest of the tournament, the Crimson lost, 11-10, in sudden-death overtime to the Gaels (6-4).

The match started off slow, as both teams were unable to take advantage of numerous scoring opportunities.

Eventually, Harvard established a 3-1 lead with goals from Shayna Price, co-captain Devan Kennifer, and junior two-meter defender Elise Molnar.

Although the Crimson maintained a narrow lead for most of the match, the Gaels were able to capitalize on several offensive opportunities to keep the score close. Iona eventually tied the game, 9-9, with 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the match into overtime.

In the first overtime period, with four defenders draped over her, junior attacker Aisha Price flipped a backhanded shot into goal, putting Harvard up 10-9. The Crimson scored again in the frame to take the two-goal edge.

In the second overtime, the Gaels responded with two scores of their own, finding the back of the net with 12 seconds remaining in the period to make it 11-11 and send the game into sudden-death.

In the ensuing frame, Iona was able to net a goal attempt with the shot clock winding down to top Harvard, 12-11.

“The positive thing is we can learn a lot,” Aisha Price said. “[Harvard coach Ted Minnis] always says you have to lose big games to win them.”

This was the third match between the two squads this season and all have been decided by one goal. The Gaels lead the season series, 2-1.

HARVARD 13, BUCKNELL 8

In its second game of the day on Saturday, the Crimson rebounded from a close loss to Princeton, topping Bucknell (8-8) for the second time this season.

Shayna Price and Kennifer paced the Harvard offense with four goals apiece as the Crimson cruised past the Bison, 13-8.

Kennifer also tallied a season-high eight steals to lead the Harvard defense.

PRINCETON 9, HARVARD 8

In the second meeting between the Crimson and the Tigers (16-1) this season, Harvard once again was unable to defeat its Ivy League rival, falling, 9-8.

“I don’t think anyone on the team has beaten Princeton yet,” Aisha Price said. “So that was a tough loss.”

The Crimson struck first, scoring three goals in each of the first two quarters, to open up a 6-3 lead against Princeton going into halftime.

The Tigers answered with their own three-goal run in the third period, holding the Crimson to just one score. And with three goals in the fourth, the Tigers managed to take a late lead and edge the Crimson, 9-8.

“We had a 6-1 lead. There’s no excuse for that,” Kennifer said. “We had them. I don’t think we believed enough, and I think that win would have been a lot more important for us than the Iona game.”

SAN JOSE STATE 15, HARVARD 8

The Crimson began a four-game weekend on Friday night with a loss to No. 12 San Jose State (20-10).

Harvard fell behind early in the first period as the Spartans established a 4-1 lead. But the Crimson fought back. By limiting San Jose State to one score and tallying three goals in the second frame, Harvard pulled within one goal to end the first half, 5-4.

In the second half, it was all Spartans.

Netting four goals in the third period and six in the fourth, San Jose State widened its lead in the final 16 minutes and limited the Harvard offense to just one score in the third and three scores in the final frame.