LEWISBURG, Pa., – No. 17 Harvard women's water polo took down No. 20 Princeton (20-10, 8-4 CWPA) in a CWPA Semifinal matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson (23-6, 9-3 CWPA) advances to the CWPA Championship game tomorrow at noon with the opportunity to clinch a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Crimson needed to claim a third victory this season over the Tigers to reach the CWPA Championship game, and
Brooke Hourigan got Harvard out to a lead less than a minute into the contest. A few minutes later, with the game tied at two goals apiece,
Grace Thawley gave the Crimson a 3-2 lead with a close-range score. Harvard would not relinquish the advantage, with Thawley and
Erin Kim scoring quickly after as the Crimson led 5-3 after one period of play.
Evan Tingler netted the first two tallies of the second period, securing her first half hat trick and giving the Crimson an early 7-3 lead with 4:41 left in the half.
Inde Halligan and
Brooke Hourigan each answered a Princeton goal, and the Crimson went into the break with a 9-5 lead.
The pace of play halted in the second half, with the Crimson nursing a multi-goal lead throughout.
Erin Kim and Halligan notched back-to-back goals to extend the lead to five goals, before Princeton answered to make it an 11-7 game with 3:37 remaining in the third period. The goals would dry up from this point on, with the Crimson sticking in defensively in front of
Zoe Banks in goal, who made eight total saves in the contest. The Tigers were able to score a pair in the final period, but the Harvard lead was insurmountable as
Ted Minnis collected his 199th victory to advance to the CWPA Championship.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior Evan Tinlger scored a game-high three goals to go along with two blocks.
- Sophomore Brooke Hourigan filled the stat sheet with two goals, two assists, a steal, a block and a DKO.
- Senior Inde Halligan, junior Grace Thawley and first-year Erin Kim each netted a pair of goals.
- Junior goalie Zoe Banks made eight saves in net to secure the victory for the Crimson.
Game Notes
- Harvard reaches the 23-win mark, the second highest single season win total in program history. The Crimson can match its program-best 24 wins tomorrow.
- The Crimson sweeps the season series against Princeton, topping the Tigers three times this season.
- Ted Minnis claims his 199th victory with the women's program at Harvard.
What's Next?
The Crimson will take on No. 7 Michigan in the CWPA Championship game tomorrow at noon. The winner will advance to the NCAA Tournament from May 6-8, hosted by the University of Michigan.
