Pictured: Devan Kennifer buried four markers in the Crimson's two games on day one of the ECAC Championships
Photo courtesy of Gil Talbot Photography.

PRINCETON, N.J.- The Harvard women's water polo team lost in the opening round of the ECAC Championships, Saturday afternoon. The Crimson's upset bid fell short against Marist, the second seed in the tournament, as the team suffered its second loss of the year, a 12-10 decision. Harvard rebounded to pick up a come-from-behind win over Wagner, 14-9, in the evening match.

Harvard, the seventh-seeded team in the tournament, opened up play at the ECAC Championships with a tight 12-10 loss to Marist, the second-seed in the tournament. The Crimson trailed 7-3 at halftime but chipped away throughout the second stanza. Sophomore Monica Zdrojewski pulled Harvard within a goal, 9-8, with five minutes left to play. The two squads traded goals but the Red Foxes held on to win 12-10 to advance to Brown. Sophomore Devan Kennifer lead the charge with four goals. Freshman Elise Molnar and Zdrojewski each netted a pair of goals. Lizzie Abbott and Ita Barton-Kettleborough rounded out the scoring with a goal apiece.

Harvard trailed early on and eventually gained a lead that it would not relenquish. The Crimson were behind 3-2 at the end of the first quarter and 6-3 going into halftime. An offensive storm in the second half spurred Harvard to the 14-9 victory. The Crimson limited the Seahawks to just a single goal in the third quarter and buried four of its own to knot the score at 7-7. In the final eight minutes, Harvard's offense scored on four of its first five possessions and netted seven tallies compared to Wagner's two to roll to victory. Kennifer turned in her second four-goal performance of the day. Patricia Smith recorded a hat trick while Abbott and Barton-Kettleborough both notched two goals. Elise Molnar, Shannon Purcell and Zdrojewski each found the back of the net once in the contest. Laurel McCarthy stopped nine shots in the game to help Harvard claim its seventh victory of the 2010 campaign.

The Crimson will play Bucknell, Feb. 28, with fifth-place on the line at the ECAC Championships.