PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Dany Zapata (Sr., Cali, Colombia/Meriden School) made her only goal of the game count the most as she converted a man-up opportunity with 2:32 left in the first overtime period as the No. 15-ranked Harvard University Crimson clawed past the No. 16 University of Michigan Wolverines, 9-8, in overtime to claim the second semifinal at the 2025 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship hosted by Brown University.
Competing at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, the Crimson (25-6, 10-2 CWPA) made the home of an Ivy League nemesis their own to earn a matchup with another Ivy League institution – No. 10 and two-time defending CWPA Champion Princeton University – as the Crimson will play for the CWPA Championship and automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, April 27. Princeton punched its ticket to the program’s third consecutive CWPA Championship title game by holding off Bucknell University, 17-4, earlier in the day.
In the modern history of the championship since 2001, Harvard has finished second (2022, 2023), third (2000), fourth (2017, 2019, 2024), fifth (2004, 2005), sixth (2003, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016), seventh (2001, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2018) and eighth (2006, 2007, 2010) as the Crimson will aim to capture the program’s inaugural championship in women’s water polo.
The loss drops Michigan (18-11, 9-3 CWPA) into a Third Place clash with Bucknell at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 27.
In the history of the championship, Michigan has previously finished fifth (2001), first (2002, 7-6 W OT SD vs. Hartwick College at Princeton), third (2003), second (2004, 5-2 L vs. Hartwick at Bucknell University), first (2005, 8-7 W at Indiana University), second (2006, 11-8 L vs. Hartwick at Brown), fourth (2007), first (2008, 10-7 W vs. Hartwick at home), first (2009, 12-6 W vs. Hartwick at Harvard), first (2010, 7-5 W vs. Indiana at University of Maryland), second (2011, 5-3 L at Indiana), third (2012), second (2013, 7-5 L vs. Princeton at home), third (2014), fourth (2015), first (2016, 9-2 W vs. Indiana at Harvard), first (2017, 5-4 W vs. Princeton at Indiana), first (2018, 11-8 W vs. Princeton at Bucknell), first (2019, 10-6 W vs. Princeton at Brown), first (2021, 12-5 W vs. Bucknell at home), first (2022, 10-4 W vs. Harvard at Bucknell), third (2023) and second (2024, 10-9 L vs. Princeton at Harvard) at the CWPA Championship.
In a game during which neither team lead by more than a goal throughout the duration of the contest, the Crimson trailed three times as the two-time title game qualifier Crimson held their own against the 16-time CWPA Championship title game competitor Wolverines.
Maya O’Dea (So., Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) drew first blood for Harvard by denting the twine one minute into the game (7:00), Ari Karampetsou (Fr., Athens, Greece/Costeas Geitonas School) responded for Michigan via a five-meter penalty shot (5:10), Lucy Berkman (So., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) pushed the Crimson back ahead at 2-1 (2:08) and Kasey Umlauf (Gr., Northfield, Ill./New Trier Township) balanced the scoreboard (57 seconds) as the teams exited the opening eight minutes deadlocked at two-all.
Following several minutes of back-and-forth action in the dawning moments of the second quarter, Brooke Ingram (Jr., Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos) staked Michigan to its first lead by spiraling a ball into the cage at the 4:48 mark. However, Emma Gilbert (So., Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos) erased the lead and put the Crimson back in front by swishing natural (3:00) and penalty shot (2:33) strikes. The lead lasted for approximately a minute and a half before Karampetsou lined in a five-meter penalty shot with 1:08 until halftime to square the squads at four-all at the midway point of regulation.
The third quarter saw significantly less offensive fireworks as Umlauf deposited the lone marker of the frame by arching in a shot with 5:03 on the clock to provide Michigan a 5-4 entering the final eight minutes of regulation.
Harvard turned the tables on the Wolverines within the first 1:36 of the fourth quarter as O’Dea (7:26, man-up) and 2025 CWPA Rookie of the Year Niki Piovan (Fr., Vouliagmeni, Greece/HAEF Athens College) (6:24) tied the contest and returned the Crimson to the lead at 6-5.
Neither team was able to shake their foe over the remainder of regulation as Emma Gustafsson (So., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) retied the game at six-all, O’Dea completed a hat-trick (3:10) to put Harvard back in front 7-6, Lulu Hirschfield (Jr., San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) knotted the score at seven-all (2:48) and Maiken Pardon (Sr., Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa) provided Michigan an 8-7 lead at the 2:07 mark to put the Maize & Blue on the doorstep of the program’s 17th CWPA Championship title game appearance.
However, Piovan delivered for Harvard as the first-year lined in a five-meter penalty shot at 1:38 to make it an eight-all contest. Neither team was able to score over the remainder of regulation as the Crimson and Wolverines headed into overtime with their title game hopes riding on a pair of OT frames.
Following nearly five and a half minutes of back-and-forth action with neither team capable of putting in a go-ahead score, Player of the Game Zapata proved to be the revolutionary by converting a six-on-five opportunity with 2:32 on the clock to stake Harvard to a 9-8 lead.
The Crimson defense made the one-goal margin stand-up for the remainder of the first OT frame and the entirety of the second three minute extra period as Harvard held on to punch the program’s ticket back to the title game for the first time sine back-to-back appearances in 2022 and 2023. In the entire history of the program, Harvard has finished second (1988, 1990, 1995 2022, 2023), third (1989, 1992, 1998, 2000), fourth (1999, 2017, 2019, 2024), fifth (1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005), sixth (2003, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016), seventh (2001, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2018) and eighth (1997, 2006, 2007, 2010) at the women’s CWPA/Eastern Championship.
O’Dea (three), Gilbert (two) and Piovan (two) inflicted the majority of the offensive damage for Harvard, while Zapata and Berkman both stuffed in solo scores as the Crimson set a new single season program record with its 25th win of the year. Goalkeeper Orli Cooper (Fr., Greensboro, N.C./Guilford Home Education) made eight saves.
Umlauf and Karampetsou both scored twice to lead the way for Michigan, while Gustafsson, Ingram, Pardon and Hirschfield chipped in lone tallies. Goalkeeper Sophia Bunnell (Fr., Coto de Caza, Calif./Mater Dei) posted seven saves in taking the loss.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | – | FINAL | |
| No. 16 University of Michigan (18-11, 9-3 CWPA) |
2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 |
| No. 15 Harvard University (25-6, 10-2 CWPA) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | – | 9 |
| Harvard Goals: | Maya O’Dea (3); Emma Gilbert (2); Niki Piovan (2); Dany Zapata; Lucy Berkman | |||||||
| Michigan Goals: | Kasey Umlauf (2); Ari Karampetsou (2); Emma Gustafsson; Brooke Ingram; Maiken Pardon; Lulu Hirschfield | |||||||
| Saves: | Harvard – Orli Cooper (8) ; Michigan – Sophia Bunnell (7) | |||||||
| Exclusions: | Harvard – 12 ; Michigan – 22 | |||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Harvard – 5-for-22 ; Michigan – 3-for-12 | |||||||
| Sprints: | Harvard – 1-for-6 (4th) ; Michigan – 5-for-6 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th) | |||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Harvard – YC (Head coach Ted Minnis, four seconds left in 2nd Q) ; Michigan – YC (Head coach Cassie Churnside, seven seconds left in OT1), Y/RC (Head coach Cassie Churnside, one second left in OT1) ; MD (Brooke Ingram, postgame) | |||||||
| Officials: | Tony Karaman, Mosaab Omar | |||||||
University of Michigan’s Ari Karampetsou (#11) unleashes a pass as Harvard University’s Lucy Berkman (#2) defends
Harvard University’s Heidi Heffelfinger (#3) pursues the University of Michigan’s Brooke Ingram (#12)
Harvard University’s Ruby Hodge (#8) rises in defense of goalkeeper Orli Cooper (#1) as the University of Michigan’s Emma Gustafsson (#14) prepares to shoot
