Purcell Gives Women's Water Polo OT Win over No. 20 Hartwick on Senior Day
The Harvard women's water polo team honored its seniors
before beating No. 20 Hartwick Tuesday night (photo Harvard
Athletic Communications).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior Shannon
Purcell scored the winning goal with 44 seconds left in
overtime to propel Harvard to a 12-11 win over No. 20 Hartwick on
Senior Day Tuesday night. Purcell, who had two goals, an assist and
four steals in the game, was honored in a pregame ceremony
alongside classmates Lizzie
Abbott, Devan
Kennifer and Monica
Zdrojewski.
The win over Hartwick was Harvard's first in the last 27 meetings
between the two schools dating back to 2001.
Hartwick was the first to get on the board in the contest, a score
from Allison Kosic, before Harvard quickly answered to make it 1-1.
Aisha
Price scored on an assist from Abbott, but it would be the
Crimson's only score of the frame. Hartwick scored two more times
in the opening quarter, including once on a penalty shot, to gain a
3-1 advantage.
Harvard opened the second period strong, as Elise Molnar
skipped in a shot to the left side of the goal just 20 seconds into
the frame. Another goal from A. Price tied the score at three,
before the two teams traded a pair of goals over the next two
minutes. Harvard registered scores from Molnar and Purcell to keep
pace with Hartwick at 5-5 with 2:19 remaining in the second.
Hartwick then found the back of the cage at the 1:43 and 0:20 marks
to take a 7-5 lead into halftime.
In the third, Harvard found itself in a four-goal hole as Hartwick
tallied the first two scores of the frame. After a pair of
scoreless possessions, the Crimson was able to get back in the game
with three consecutive goals. Molnar scored under the arm of
Hartwick's outstretched goalie, before Shayna Price
found her sister, A. Price, for a goal at 4:16 and then netted a
goal of her own from the top of the offensive set with 3:29
remaining in the third quarter.
Hartwick scored the next two goals to get back to a three-goal
advantage, 11-8, entering the fourth quarter.
With a contingent of Harvard fans urging on a comeback, the
Crimson started a rally with solid defensive play and a goal from
A. Price one minute into the stanza. Harvard's pressure continued
through the next six minutes, and S. Price added a goal with 3:04
showing on the clock to get within one.
Harvard had two chances to tie, split up by a big block from
goalie Ariel Dukes
with 1:40 remaining, but couldn't even the score before retaining
possession with under a minute left in regulation. A pass to the
middle was fumbled between Hartwick players and Harvard's Kennifer,
before the Crimson senior hooked a shot over the Hawk's goalie to
even the score. With just 33 seconds left in the fourth, Hartwick
was unable to get a shot off.
Harvard's defensive dominance continued into overtime, as the
team's played a scoreless first overtime of two scheduled extra
frames. The period was highlighted by Zdrojewski knocking away a
spinning ball off of the goal line that had sailed over Dukes' head
on a breakaway.
In the second overtime, Hartwick and Harvard traded possessions
and shots before Purcell netted the winner with 44 seconds left.
The lefty caught a cross-pool pass on the right side of the
offensive set and fired into an empty net, as Hartwicks goalie
scrambled to get back into position.
The Crimson will take its four-game winning streak to the CWPA
Southern Division tournament, hosted by Bucknell, April 14-15.
Hartwick, 12-11 Win (OT)
Goals
Aisha Price 4
Shannon Purcell 2
Devan Kennifer
Elise Molnar 3
Shayna Price 2
Assists
Lizzie Abbott
Shannon Purcell
Devan Kennifer 2
Elise Molnar
Monica Zdrojewski 4
Shayna Price 2
Steals
Aisha Price 3
Lizzie Abbott
Shannon Purcell 4
Devan Kennifer 8
Elise Molnar 2
Monica Zdrojewski 3
Shayna Price
Saves
Ariel Dukes 8
