No. 13 Harvard Women’s Water Polo Sweeps Doubleheader Against St. Francis, Bucknell

No. 13 Harvard women’s water polo (20-6, 8-2 CWPA) dominated two Saturday matchups in Ann Arbor, MI.

The last regular season double-header against St. Francis (12-15, 2-9 CWPA) and Bucknell (14-11, 4-7 CWPA) proved to be a showcase for the Crimson’s suffocating defense and fierce offense.

As the CWPA tournament approaches, Harvard is keeping its sights set on potential first-round opponents and using the remaining matches to fine-tune their play and competitive edge.

Harvard 18, St. Francis 1

The Crimson started its doubleheader off strong with a complete domination of the Red Flash. Harvard’s steady flow of points throughout the match consistently broke down St. Francis’ defensive efforts.

“Our entry passes this weekend were spot on, which helped generate a lot of offense for us,” junior utility Heidi Heffelfinger said. “We also did a good job of keeping our spacing which allowed us to move into open space and make that extra pass for a shot on a more open cage.”

Heffelfinger scored four goals throughout the match, with eight teammates also contributing to the Crimson’s growing tally.

Harvard’s younger talents put their skills on full display against St. Francis. Sophomore attacker Maya O’Dea, sophomore center defender Emma Gilbert, and freshman defender Niki Piovan each accomplished their own hat tricks.

No doubt shaken by the Crimson’s relentless onslaught and unwavering blocks, St. Francis suffered from passing miscommunications that became easy turnovers. The well-balanced offense in the pool at all times allowed Harvard to make the most of every possession.

“Our bench may be small, but it is incredibly talented, and there’s no drop off when we sub a full six-for-six,” Heffelfinger said. “Subbing frequently in games where we are up by a lot helps keep the energy and competition up.”

When the buzzer sounded, it signaled the end of a masterful, ruthless match for the Crimson, as the team charged ahead into its afternoon game.

Harvard 18, Bucknell 5

In its final matchup of the day, the Crimson shocked Bucknell with its characteristic, dominant defense.

At the start of the first period, Harvard continually forced Bucknell to run down their shot clock as the opposing team made frantic attempts to score. The Bison initially struggled with some ball-handling errors and misplaced passes, causing scrambles for possession.

The Crimson easily netted four goals before Bucknell’s first, giving its opponent a taste of the scoring difficulties they would face throughout the match.

The first quarter was highlighted by a Crimson surge of points. Highlights include an energetic goal from Heffelfinger off senior utility Dany Zapata’s assist and sophomore attacker Lily Britt’s skipper shot to put Harvard up 6-2 at the end of the first quarter.

O’Dea opened the second quarter with an explosive shot, giving Bucknell little time to react as Harvard steamrolled ahead.

The Bison responded with their own goal but would not put together another successful shot until the end of the quarter, overwhelmed by the Crimson’s physicality.

Harvard’s skillful ball movement throughout the period tired out Bucknell’s defense and opened up perfect shot opportunities. Piovan then fired a shot into the back of the net, setting off a string of three straight goals for the first-year from almost the same spot each time.

While Bucknell managed to score their second point of the quarter with a lob shot into the upper corner of the goal, it was a meager attempt at making up their 12-4 deficit to Harvard at the end of the first half.

The third quarter began with little hope for the Bisons’ improvement, with Zapata’s up-close shot, aggressively pushing the ball right past the opposing goalie.

Soon after, Piovan scored once again with impressive power. The Crimson’s ball control earned Freshman attacker Sofia Del Villar a point after her teammates helped spread the Bison’s defense thin.

Bucknell faced a scoring drought in the third period as they struggled to get close to the net. But when they did, freshman goalkeeper Orli Cooper was sure to shut down any attempts, with eight total saves throughout the match.

The third period ended with a controlling 16-4 lead for Harvard.

The final eight minutes continued at a slower pace for the Crimson, as they shared some back-and-forth scrambles with Bucknell. Perhaps desperate for points, the Bison managed an early goal, and their goalie blocked several fiery shots from Harvard.

Halfway into the period, however, sophomore attacker Lucy Berkman placed a demoralizing goal into the back of Bucknell’s net.

Entirely discouraged, the Crimson’s opponents could do little to overcome the commanding lead, and the match ended with a dominant 18-5 win for Harvard. Piovan led the team with six total points, three of which were scored in the second period alone.

The second half of the match was not as goal-heavy for the Crimson, but its defense was a well-oiled machine, allowing only one goal for the Bison over the final two periods.

Capping off the weekend with an impressive 36 total points and keeping its opponents’ combined scores well below double digits, the Crimson looks ahead to the matchup of the regulr season on April 19 at Blodgett Pool versus Iona University (11-12, 5-4 CWPA).

“Our main focus the next three weeks will be on conference,” Heffelfinger said. “And, as always, we’ll be focusing on our own game and continuing to build our dominating mindset.”