Mehaffey Brings Team Success With Unorthodox Approach

In water polo, the driver is the shooter who sets up close to the goal in order to go for the score. So it’s no surprise when the big scorers in the game end up being the drivers.

Anyway, watch out drivers—two-meter junior Molly Mehaffey wants a piece of the action.

Though the role of a two-meter primarily requires the player to pass the ball to teammates around the net and shoot only when a gap has opened, Mehaffey has proved her ability to score successfully despite her position.

Mehaffey racked up an impressive three-goal total at the Ivy Invitational at Blodgett Pool this Saturday. The Crimson grabbed victories against Yale and later against Brown, giving the team a four-game winning streak and bringing Harvard to an impressive 5-1 record.

In the Crimson’s first game against Yale, Mehaffey began her day with a goal in the third period, one of nine Harvard tallies on the day against the overmatched Bulldogs.

The next game of the doubleheader—a match against rival Brown—proved to be more intense. After three devastating losses to the Bears last season, Harvard knew what had to be done.

What followed was a standout performance in which Mehaffey scored a solid two of six total goals. Her score in the last three minutes of the second quarter allowed Harvard to keep the upper hand over the Bears.

In the last period of the game, with less than two minutes remaining, Mehaffey brought the crowd to its feet as her impressive backhand shot flew past Brown’s goalkeeper and glided into the goal. The score helped secure the Crimson’s final 6-3 margin of victory and first win over the Bears in four matchups.

“Molly had a great game out of two-meters,” Harvard coach Eric Farrar said. “She scored a couple of key goals.”

Just as promising as Mehaffey’s performance in the Ivy Invitational has been her ability to recover from injury.

As she graduated from high school, Mehaffey underwent her first surgery on her right knee. Not even one year later, she found herself back in the operating room undergoing surgery on her left knee. As a result, Mehaffey missed her entire freshman season, and playing time in her sophomore season was not as fulfilling as she had hoped.

“Last spring I played, but I was not at top physical shape,” Mehaffey said. “This is the first season I have not been recovering from a surgery since high school...so to be healthy is great.”

“I am playing like I should have been playing. To be able to come out and score two goals makes you feel good, especially against a team like Brown,” she added.

Mehaffey and the Crimson return to the water on March 6 when they will play Connecticut College, followed by Harvard’s second game of the season against Brown.