W. Water Polo Preps For League Play

In its final action before the start of league play, the Harvard women’s water polo team split its two games at the Brown Invitational this Saturday.

The Crimson (2-7) began the day with a victory over Queens but later fell to a New York Athletic Club team.

“The nonleague part of our season did what it had to do,” Harvard coach Jim Floerchinger said. “It prepared us for league games. There’s nothing major left for us to work on.”

Harvard 14, Queens 6

The Crimson struggled at the beginning of its game against the Knights, falling behind early.

“We came out flat,” Floerchinger said. “We showed up a little bit tired.”

In the second half of the contest, Harvard tightened its defense thanks to the strong play of sophomore Diane Dewey.

“[Diane] stepped up into a role as a starting player,” Floerchinger said. “She played really tenacious defense.”

The Crimson offense was led by captain Tiana Peterson and twin sophomores Teresa and Christina Codini, all three of whom recorded hat tricks for Harvard.

Freshman Arin Keyser continued her strong play with two goals, while Dewey, senior Michele Falkner and freshman Sarah Kennifer rounded out the scoring with a goal each.

“It was nice to be able to go in there knowing that we’re a better team and be able to work on some things,” Dewey said.

NYAC 10, Harvard 3

In a rematch of Harvard’s 8-7 win last weekend, the Crimson’s teamwork wasn’t enough to hold a strong NYAC club team that has won US Nationals in the past.

Harvard found itself competing against a considerably different group of players than it battled last weekend, as the club had added some top players during the week, according to Floerchinger.

Sophomore Stephanie Frias scored her first goal of the weekend and Christina Codini and Kennifer rounded out the scoring for the Crimson as Harvard tried to avoid relying exclusively on any single player.

“We played more as a team than we have in the past,” Dewey said.

Despite the lopsided score, Floerchinger was pleased with his team’s effort against a NYAC squad that features some of the top players in the country.

“It’s great for us to get a chance to play against these players,” Floerchinger said. “It’s the kind of experience that you don’t get at the college level.”

The Crimson is back in action this weekend as it plays a series of league games at Connecticut College.