No. 8 Harvard Women’s Water Polo Sweeps Home Invite Tournament

In another weekend of domination, No. 8 Harvard women’s water polo (14-1, 6-0 CWPA) swept the field at the Harvard Invitational in a stretch that included three ranked wins.

“I think the biggest thing that sticks out is just the resilience that this team has, ” head coach Ted Minnis said. “This team has been all year, has worked very hard at getting better, whether it’s in practice, whether it’s in the weight room, or whether it’s in game.”

“This team’s not afraid to lose. This team just wants to keep getting better,” he added.

The weekend extended the Crimson’s winning streak to 12, keeping it undefeated in CWPA conference play.

“We’re all sisters. When one of us is having a bad day, everyone else is there to cheer her up,” senior attacker Erin Kim said. “I’ve never been on a team as close knit as this one. We are truly a family, and that’s something that is very rare in college water polo.”

Harvard 16, California Baptist 9

Harvard set the tone for the tournament with its first match against No. 22 California Baptist University, flashing its skill throughout the early morning contest.

Within the first 13 seconds of the match, junior utility Heidi Heffelfinger swiftly scored the first goal for the Crimson. From there, Harvard jumped to a 3-0 lead before the Lancers could secure their first point in a penalty shot.

In the second and third periods, the Crimson deftly held back the CBU offense, with freshman goalie Orli Cooper firmly rejecting several shot attempts. Both teams were largely unable to produce on the offensive end in the second period, scoring only one goal each. However, Harvard surged ahead in the third, with multiple players firing away at CBU’s goal to put the Crimson up 11-5.

The Lancers attempted a comeback in the fourth period but ultimately could not overcome Harvard’s efficiency and physicality. The opponent’s ball movement at the net allowed them to stay in the match with three goals and a successful breakaway.

But that was all the Crimson would allow.

Making light work of CBU’s defense, Harvard slammed in four goals. Heffelfinger capitalized on the Crimson’s dominance on the attack, delivering an electric backhand goal to end the match.

Harvard 20, Mercyhurst 2

In a similar fashion to its earlier match, the Crimson’s physicality proved too much for its evening opponent. Even when down a player at times, Harvard consistently kept Mercyhurst too far from the goal to make a comfortable shot.

Two successive points from junior attacker Ruby Hodge and sophomore center defender Emma Gilbert started the momentum for the Crimson.

Harvard put on offensive and defensive masterclasses in the first period, scoring off of several turnovers. A highlight from the first period was an aggressive throw from Gilbert that slammed into the back bar of the net and rebounded off of the opposing goalie’s head.

The second period continued at the same pace with the Crimson ending the first half up 11-1. In the third, Mercyhurst tried to apply pressure, but sophomore attacker Lily Britt put a quick end to the back-and-forth with a goal. From there, Harvard reliably found openings in Mercyhurst’s net to score five more points in the period.

By the final period, Mercyhurst’s communication began to fall apart as the team struggled to find open players. Despite managing a second point for a morale boost, the Erie, Pennsylvania team ultimately could not close gaps in its defense.

Britt delivered the final point for the Crimson and put an end to the match. Cooper ended with eight saves for a total of 18 on the day.

“Orli is the anchor of our defense,” Minnis said.

Harvard 9, Brown 7

In the penultimate contest of the weekend, defense dominated as the Crimson looked to remain undefeated in CWPA play against the No. 22 Bears. With Brown on the attack early, Cooper deflected multiple shots in the opening minutes, keeping the score at 0-0.

Sophomore attacker Lucy Berkman opened up scoring with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter, giving Harvard an early 1-0 advantage. The teams traded two goals each to end the quarter at 3-2 in Harvard’s favor.

Gilbert started the second frame with a fiery shot that flew past Brown’s goalie in the opening minute. The 4-2 advantage didn’t last long though, as Brown immediately responded with a goal seconds later. In another quarter defined by defensive play, each team was only able to put up one more goal, as the second quarter ended with Harvard leading 5-4.

Hodge started the second half with a bang, scoring a long-range goal on Harvard’s first possession. Refusing to bow out, the Bears continued to attack the upper corners, drilling two shots past the 6-foot-2-inch Cooper’s outstretched arms to tie the game up at six.

Following a timeout, freshman Niki Piovan broke the tie with a goal that sailed into the upper right corner of the net. As both teams pushed the pace, the Bears capitalized on a numbers advantage with 2:04 left in the quarter to tie the game at 7-7.

Sticky defense reigned supreme again in the final quarter as neither team scored in the first four minutes. In the waning minutes of regulation, sophomore attacker Maya O’Dea lined up a shot that splashed the water before skipping into Brown’s goal, giving Harvard a 8-7 lead. The Crimson followed it up with another goal from Kim to go up 9-7 with two minutes left. Two strong defensive stands sealed the deal and secured Harvard’s third win of the weekend.

Harvard 15, Wagner 6

Despite facing an early 2-0 deficit on senior night, Britt and Gilbert scored goals to narrow the gap to just one goal.

In the final seconds of the period, freshman defender Niki Piovan launched a right-handed shot that found the bottom of the net, tying the score at 3-3.

“The fourth game is always the most, like, gritty, but we’re all on the same page, and it’s like, we’re all doing it together,” Hodge said. “I feel like we all just lift each other up no matter what.”

Gilbert once again made her presence felt as she gave Harvard its first lead of the game under a minute into the second quarter. The Crimson’s defense, powered by Cooper, held strong as it only allowed two goals through the second and third quarters. Meanwhile, the offense continued to roll, pouring in nine more goals to give Harvard a 13-5 advantage heading into the last frame of the weekend.

“Our goal coming into every game is to keep teams to eight and below. And we always feel if we can keep teams to eight and under, we’re going to be able to score nine or more,” Minnis said.

The Crimson closed out action with four more goals of its own while only allowing one, stifling any chance of a comeback from Wagner.

Despite playing its fourth game in a span of 36 hours, the team remained unfazed in the biggest moments.

“It’s more so a mental game rather than a physical game. And this team is so resilient, and we can get through pretty much anything,” Kim said.

Harvard returns to action next weekend when it rematches Brown and takes on Marist next Saturday in Providence, R.I.

– Staff Writer Praveen Kumar can be reached at praveen.kumar@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @Praveen4560k