CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Women's water polo cruised to a 14-3 victory over No. 16 Michigan on Sunday morning to remain perfect in CWPA play. Its best start since 2019, the Crimson has outscored its conference opponents 56-23 in four games this season.
Sitting at 10-1, it's the best Crimson record since 2019 when Harvard won its first 10 games of the season. In 2019, the Crimson had beaten just one ranked opponent on its way to a perfect start of the season while this team picked up its seventh ranked win after defeating the Wolverines this morning.
The win over Michigan is just the second win for the Crimson over its CWPA rivals in program history and the first since the 2023 CWPA semifinal game when Harvard beat the Wolverines on a buzzer beater by a score of 9-8.
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS
• The Crimson jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after
Lucy Berkman opened the scoring. The Wolverines would tie the game at one but that is as close as they would get for the remainder of the game.
•
Emma Gilbert and
Heidi Heffelfinger would net two goals each to stretch the Crimson lead into the second quarter.
• Up 5-2 after Heffelfinger's second goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Crimson would hold the No. 16 Wolverines to just one goal for the rest of the game.
• A six-goal outburst in the second quarter would prove to be too much for the Wolverines after Heffelfinger,
Ruby Hodge, and
Dany Zapata all scored for the Crimson.
• Hodge would finish the game with three goals and four assists.
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Erin Kim was in a playmaking role, recording three assists.
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Emma Gilbert had a hat-trick.
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Niki Piovan and
Maya O'Dea both scored a pair of goals.
•
Orli Cooper was stellar once again after making 12 saves between the pipes.
NEXT UP
Harvard hosts the Harvard Invitational next weekend in the final four games of a 15-game homestand.
