Women's Water Polo Goes 1-3 at Home Tournament

The weekend proved to be a tough one for the Harvard women’s water polo team (5-6, 0-1 CWPA). Although the Crimson held the Harvard Invitational at Blodgett Pool, the team went 1-3 overall.

Ranked No. 19, the hosts defeated No. 13 Marist but fell to No. 21 Wagner, No. 16 UC San Diego, and No. 11 Princeton.

NO. 21 WAGNER 4, NO. 19 HARVARD 3

Harvard’s early efforts fell short in its Sunday afternoon showdown with Wagner (5-9). Ultimately the Crimson dropped a tight game in the final quarter.

It was the Seahawks who struck first in the final day of play at the Harvard Invite, taking a 1-0 lead over Harvard. Yet a goal from senior Michelle Martinelli put the Crimson right back in it.

Following a score by junior Sami Strutner off a feed from senior Eela Nagaraj, Harvard held a 3-1 lead heading into the half.

Wagner scored in the third frame to cut into the Crimson’s advantage. Entering the fourth quarter, Harvard was up 3-2.

Two points from the Seahawks went unanswered in the final eight minutes, as they went on to win 4-3 in the tight contest.

NO. 19 HARVARD 10, NO. 23 MARIST 9

The Crimson snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday night, beating Marist (6-7) in another close matchup.

After falling behind 1-0 to start the first frame, Harvard responded with two goals from sophomore Kristen Hong and freshman Sofia Carrera-Justiz. Yet the Red Foxes matched both, making the score 3-2 as the first quarter of play closed.

With help from two seniors on senior night, the Crimson battled back. Martinelli scored to tie the game at 5-5 before Zoe Osborne put the ball in the net to put Harvard ahead by one.

“The team has been playing with our usual passion and fight,” Osborne said. “We just need to finish our opportunities.”

After three quarters of tight competition, both teams entered the final eight minutes with seven scores apiece. The Crimson looked to finish.

Two goals from Hong put Harvard up by two, but Marist continued to battle to the end. The Red Foxes matched Hong’s efforts to tie the game at a score of 9-9.

With 1:48 left to play, a ball from Marinelli sailed past the Marist goalie to give the Crimson the victory. The go-ahead goal marked the fourth of the night for the California native, who led the Harvard offense to seal the 10-9 win.

“The keys to our game are defense and staying mentally tough,” Nagaraj said.

NO. 16 UC SAN DIEGO 12, NO. 19 HARVARD 6

The Crimson dropped a dispiriting defeat on Saturday afternoon to UC San Diego (7-9), 12-6. Despite taking an early 1-0 lead with a goal by Freshman Mathilde Ribordy, Harvard could not hold off a fierce Triton offense.

With an additional three goals from each team, the first quarter ended with a tight score of 4-3 in favor of the Crimson. Harvard added to that lead, with both Hong and freshman Julie Harrison finding the net. Coupled with a strong defensive effort, the Crimson was able to maintain a 6-3 through the halfway point.

“The key is always an unbeatable defense,” Osborne said. “That will feed our entire game.”

Yet the tough Harvard defense that kept the Tritons scoreless in the second quarter faded as the game progressed. Outscoring Harvard by nine in the second half, UC San Diego surged past the Crimson, 12-6.

NO. 11 PRINCETON 7, NO. 19 HARVARD 4

An early deficit proved too much for Harvard to overcome in Friday night’s opener against Princeton (8-0, 1-0 CWPA). The Tigers pulled ahead by three in the opening minutes, and the Crimson never quite recovered.

Despite efforts made by the Crimson to close the lead, Harvard could not score a goal without Princeton offering an answer in return. Two goals for the Crimson by Hong and sophomore Haley Bowe narrowed the score to 3-2. Yet the Tigers quickly bounced back with two goals of their own.

Princeton maintained the advantage throughout, as the team went on to secure a 7-4 victory over Harvard.

“We just need to put our shots away,” Osborne said. “We have all these great opportunities, and finishing them is going to give us a lot of success.”

Senior Sami Strutner led the Crimson with three assists. On the defensive side, Osborne had three steals, and junior Cleo Harrington recorded six saves at the goalie position.

“It’s been a tough weekend but a great experience all around,” Nagaraj said. “We are excited to take what we have learned this weekend and make improvements going into our upcoming games.”