LEWISBURG, Pa. — The No. 17-ranked Harvard University women’s water polo team took down Mount Saint Mary’s University by a score of 16-0 in the opening game of the 2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division I Championship at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium. The Crimson advance to a semifinal matchup on Saturday, April 23, at 1:00 p.m. versus the winner of an opening round game pitting No. 20 Princeton University and Saint Francis University.
Mount St. Mary’s will continue the tournament at 11:30 a.m. on April 23 versus the loser of the Princeton-Saint Francis contest prior to wrapping up the Mountaineers’ participation at the CWPA Championship at 4:00 p.m. against the loser of a first round game matching the host Bison and No. 22 Brown University.
The game marked the second meeting of the year between the two teams at Bucknell as Harvard previously defeated the Mountaineers in a contest at Kinney Natatorium on February 26, 18-0.
Both teams were stagnant on offense through the first six minutes, with a five-meter shot from Brooke Hourigan being the lone score. Grace Thawley finally broke through with two minutes remaining in the period before the first-year duo of Erin Kim and Dany Zapata each netted goals to make it a 4-0 game through one quarter.
Harvard led its balanced offense into the second quarter, with Annabel Facey scoring less than thirty seconds into the period before Kim added a pair to secure her hat trick in the first half. A late tally from Thawley made it 8-0 at halftime as Zoe Banks continued to shut down the Mountaineers from in net.
Evan Tingler and Quinne Pursell each got on the scoresheet to begin the second half and extended the lead into double-digits. Zapata would catch fire late, netting three goals in the second half before Ella Prentice capped off the win to punch the Crimson’s ticket to the next round.
Banks made six saves without allowing a goal through three quarters, while Kim and Zapata each netted four goals to lead the team.
Hourigan and Thawley each scored a pair of goals, while Thawley added four steals.
Sophomore Annabelle Bisconti and senior Inde Halligan each tabbed four steals with freshman Kaity Greenwald added three.
Overall, Harvard reaches the 22-win plateau for the second time in program history, trailing only the 2016 team that won 24 contests. Further, Crimson head coach Ted Minnis claimed his 198th victory with the women’s program at Harvard.
Release courtesy Harvard University Athletics Communications
