Quakers Spoil Harvard Women's Lacrosse Senior Night

A number of times this season, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team has been on the wrong end of comebacks. The Crimson surrendered a four-goal lead late in its game against Stanford in March and weathered a late push from Dartmouth earlier this month.

On Saturday, it was Harvard’s turn to mount a comeback attempt at the end of a contest. After No. 10 Pennsylvania (12-2, 5-1 Ivy League) held the Crimson (8-6, 4-2 Ivy) scoreless for two-thirds of the second period, Harvard exploded for four goals in eight minutes, including two in the final 30 seconds of the matchup.

The team’s efforts would not be enough, though, as the Crimson’s hopes of stealing a win were derailed by foul trouble and the opposition’s staunch defense. In the end, the Quakers held on for the victory at Harvard Stadium, edging out Harvard, 13-10.

“I thought we hustled really hard today and played with a lot of emotion,” tri-captain attacker Maeve McMahon said.

With nine minutes left to play in the game, the Crimson found itself down by five goals to Penn. Harvard had kicked off the second half with a quick goal to take the lead, as sophomore midfielder Keeley MacAfee found the back of the net less than a minute into the period. Her finish handed the Crimson a 6-5 advantage.

However, the Harvard lead would last less than 30 seconds. Quakers junior midfielder Alex Condon netted the second of her game-high four goals with 28:39 remaining in the second half to level the score at six apiece.

Condon would go on to complete her hat trick just over a minute later, handing Penn the lead that it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The junior midfielder’s third goal on the night would kick off a 5-0 run for the Quakers.

By the 10:45 mark in the closing half, Penn had turned a one-goal deficit into an 11-6 advantage, and the game looked to be all but over for the Crimson.

The Quakers’ potent offense, highlighted by Condon’s four goals along with the three scores and two assists for senior attacker Emily Rogers-Healion, played a crucial role in securing Penn’s five-goal lead.

However, the Quakers defensive unit was even more instrumental. Penn entered the contest with the fourth-best scoring defense in the nation and the top goals-against average in the Ancient Eight.

Quakers senior goalie Britt Brown was critical to her team’s defensive success. Although the Crimson fired off the same number of shots as Penn over the course of the game, Brown’s 13 stops helped the Quakers hold on for the win. The senior netminder is ranked second in the country for save percentage (55.8%) and fourth nationwide for goals-against average (7.55).

Despite Penn’s stifling defense, Harvard finally managed to break through with a goal from freshman midfielder Katie Muldoon after the Quakers kept the Crimson off the board for 20 minutes of the second period.

Muldoon’s finish narrowed the margin to four, and although Rogers-Healion picked up two goals before the final whistle, the momentum was with Harvard in the closing minutes of the game.

MacAfee picked up a second goal with three and a half minutes left on the clock, and both she and senior attacker Marisa Romeo would complete their hat tricks in the final 30 seconds of the contest. First, Romeo beat a defender with a roll dodge before slotting a shot into the top of the net for her third score of the game, before MacAfee completed her hat trick on a free position conversion with 22 seconds remaining.

The first half was a different story entirely. Harvard started the game firing on all cylinders, and by the sixth minute of the contest, the Crimson was leading, 4-0.

Muldoon opened the scoring with a close-range finish in the first 30 seconds, and Romeo snuck a low shot past Brown less than a minute later to double the advantage. With Penn on the back of its heels, McMahon picked up two quick goals to stretch Harvard’s lead to four points. The senior stole the spotlight with yet another highlight reel finish on her second goal, slotting home a low, underhanded shot with her back to the net.

After McMahon completed her brace, the Crimson’s struggle with fouls began to cost the team. Harvard would commit 17 infractions in the first half and 39 over the course of the game, and seven of Penn’s goals came from free position chances.

Four of the Quakers’ free position conversions came in the opening half, accounting for nearly all of Penn’s five goals in the half. The Quakers’ first score of the game came after a Crimson foul, and though Romeo got one back two minutes later, Penn would close out the half with a 4-0 run. Three of the unanswered goals came from free position opportunities, as the stifling Quakers defense kept Harvard off the board for the final 15 minutes of the opening frame.

Although Penn ended up capturing the victory, the game was still a special one for the Crimson’s six seniors. The matchup marked the final home contest for Romeo, McMahon, defenders Robyn White, Marina Burke, and tri-captain Emma Ford, and tri-captain midfielder Emma Ford, who were honored in a senior day ceremony.

“I love this senior class,” head coach Lisa Miller said. “They have a great work ethic, care for each other, and genuinely celebrate the successes of others. We are competing with the top teams in the country now [thanks to them].”

—Staff writer Sam Christenfeld can be reached at sam.christenfeld@thecrimson.com