George Washington University-vs.-Harvard University Scoresheet (PDF)
LEWISBURG, Pa. — No. 23-ranked Harvard University closed out its 2018 season with a bang as the Crimson built a 7-0 lead by halftime in outdistancing George Washington University, 10-2, in the Seventh Place game of the 2018 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship hosted by Bucknell Unviersity at Kinney Natatorium.
Harvard’s Seventh Place mark is the sixth time the Crimson (17-19, 2-6 CWPA) have clinched the spot at the CWPA Championship as the program previously garnered second (1988, 1990, 1995), third (1989, 1992, 1998, 2000), fourth (1999, 2017), fifth (1993, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2005), sixth (2003, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016), seventh (2001, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014) and eighth (1997, 2006, 2007, 2010) place marks.
For George Washington (14-16, 3-5 CWPA), it is the ninth time the Colonials have taken Eighth Place after previously notching seventh (2003), eighth (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016), ninth (2012, 2017) and 10th (2000) place berths in its previous tries for the league title and automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Women’s Water Polo Championship.
Following six minutes of scoreless water polo to open the game, the Crimson came alive as Mathilde Ribordy (So., Quebec City, Quebec/Les Hydres de Quebec) drilled in a man-up opportunity with 1:47 left in the opening quarter to place Harvard in front to stay at 1-0.
The lead ballooned quickly in the second quarter as Sofia Carrera-Justiz (So., Coral Gables, Fla./Ransom Everglades) (7:37, 3:18) and Julie Harrison (So., Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) (5:59, 3:18) to accompany a strike by Lana Gorlinski (So., Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) with 2:46 on the clock to make it 6-0. Quinne Pursell (Fr., Oceanside, Calif./El Camino) finished off the first half’s scoring by lining in a five-meter penalty shot with 28 seconds remaining to push Harvard out to a comfortable 7-0 lead through 16 minutes of action.
George Washington delivered a response with 6:28 to go in the third quarter as Alana Ponce (Fr., Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor) fired a frozen rope five-meter penalty shot into the cage to inch the Colonials back to within six at 7-1.
However, Sami Strutner (Sr., Redwood City, Calif./Saint Francis) (3:50, even-strength), Kristen Hong (Jr., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) (1:55, man-up) and Olivia Price (Fr., Lafayette, Calif./Campolindo) (11 seconds, man-up) concluded the third quarter with back-to-back-to-back strikes to expand the Crimson’s lead to 10-1 entering the final eight minutes of competition.
Jacqueline Bywater (Sr., Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) cut into the margin one more time as she put way a natural goal with 6:51 left in regulation to establish the final score.
For Harvard, which wins the season-series against GW by a 2-1 count following a 14-7 non-conference win at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., on March 25 and a 14-12 CWPA loss at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. on April 14, Carrera-Justiz and Harrison led the way with pairs of tallies. Price, Strutner, Hong, Ribordy, Pursell and Gorlinski each chipped in solo strikes as eight different Crimson players found the back of the cage in the win.
In cage, Player of the Game Cleo Harrington (Sr., Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) stopped 13 shots in picking up the victory in her final intercollegiate contest as a varsity student-athlete.
Ponce and Bywater accounted for both George Washington goals with goalie Samantha Runyon (So., San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) taking the loss with six saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 23 Harvard University | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | – | 10 |
| George Washington University | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
| GW Goals: | Alana Ponce; Jacqueline Bywater | |||||
| Harvard Goals: | Sophia Carrera-Justiz (2); Julie Harrison (2); Olivia Price; Sami Strutner; Kristen Hong; Mathilde Ribordy; Quinne Pursell; Lana Gorlinski | |||||
| Saves: | GW – Samantha Runyon (6) ; Harvard – Cleo Harrington (13) | |||||
| Exclusions: | GW – 10 ; Harvard – 8 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | GW – 1-for-8 ; Harvard – 4-for-10 | |||||
| Sprints: | GW – 0-for-4 ; Harvard – 4-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Val Vasilchikov, Julie Snyder | |||||
George Washington University’s Jaleh Moaddeli (#21) prepares to pass as Harvard University’s Olivia Price (#12) pursues
Harvard University’s Mathilde Ribordy (#6) tries for a field block of a shot by George Washington University’s Ally Jochim (#10)
Harvard University’s Sofia Carrera-Justiz (#3) attempts to elude George Washington University’s Maggie Ball (#15)
