CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Former St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Preacher Roe said it best: “Some days you eat the bear; some days the bear eats you. Yesterday, the bear ate us.”
For host/No. 20-ranked Harvard University, the Bear came to their doorstep in the form of Madeleine Poissonnier (So., Tustin, Calif./Foothill) who scored three times – including a pair in overtime – as No. 24-ranked Brown University survived a back-and-forth contest to outlast the Crimson, 13-12, in overtime for Third Place at the 2024 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship in Blodgett Pool.
Brown (17-16, 4-6 CWPA) notches the program’s seventh Top Four since 2000 with first (2001), second (2003), third (2024), fourth (2004, 2009, 2012, 2022), fifth (2000, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2023), sixth (2002, 2010, 2018), seventh (2005, 2016, 2017) and ninth (2011) place marks at the CWPA Championship.
Harvard (13-14, 5-5 CWPA) – which appeared in the 2022 and 2023 CWPA Championship title games versus the University of Michigan and Princeton University, respectively – takes Fourth Place as Harvard has now 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).
The Bears jumped on the scoreboard first in the opening eight minutes as Ella Palmer (So., Auckland, New Zealand/St. Cuthbert’s College) and Claire Poissonnier (Jr., Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) dented the twine wit 7:36 and 6:20 on the clock, respectively, to stake Brown to a quick 2-0 lead.
Harvard answered with a trio of tallies as Maya O’Dea (Fr., Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) (5:32, man-up), Ruby Hodge (So., San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) (4:49) and Emma Gilbert (Fr., Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos) (4:13, man-up) turned the tables to push the Crimson ahead 3-2.
Brown slugged back as Cleo Washer (Fr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) scrubbed up a man-up strike with two minutes left in the frame before Aubrie Anderson (Fr., Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar) chipped in a natural marker with 40 ticks on the clock to return the lead to Brown at 4-3. However, Gilbert struck again by converting the Crimson’s third power-play with eight seconds remaining for a four-all tie entering the second quarter.
Harvard pushed ahead for the second time as Kaity Greenwald (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar) shook her defender for the fifth man-up score of the contest to make it 5-4 in favor of the Crimson with 6:31 until halftime.
The next three goals belonged to Bruno as Sierra Martin (Sr., San Diego, Calif./The Bishop’s School) (6:01), Claire Poissonnier (3:15) and Hanna Tidrenczel (Fr, Budapest, Hungary/Korosi Csoma Sandor Bilingual Baptist) (2:38) built a 7-5 lead for the visiting squad. Harvard chipped its deficit down to a one, however, prior to the halftime horn as Heidi Heffelfinger (So., Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes) heaved a ball home with 33 seconds remaining in the second quarter to make the score 7-6 after 16 minutes of consistent action.
The Crimson pulled even with 6:34 to go in the third quarter as Gilbert lined in a penalty shot, but Brown answered via a penalty shot from Madeleine Poissonnier at 5:58 before Claire Poissonnier inflated the margin to 9-7 at the 5:27 mark.
Harvard came back as Sasha Constandse (Sr., Irvine, Calif./Mater Dei) (4:05) and Dany Zapata (Jr, Cali, Colombia/Meriden School) (3:20, man-up) closed out the third quarter to deadlock the squads at nine-all entering the final eight minutes of regulation.
The Crimson acquired their first lead since a 5-4 margin with 6:31 to go in the second quarter as Gilbert stroked in a penalty shot at 7:38, but Anderson returned equilibrium to the game by pumping in a natural goal at 6:41 to once again even the damage at 10-all.
The pattern repeated itself in the final 30 seconds of the game as Erin Kim (Jr., Irvine, Calif./Foothill) appeared to give the Crimson a bullet-proof lead by dinging the cage with an even-strength score (29 seconds), but Anderson was Brown’s last second hero by slicing a shot through the Harvard defense with five seconds left to make it 11-all and bring on overtime.
Brown never trailed in overtime as Madeleine Poissonnier connected on a penalty shot with 2:07 remaining in the first three-minute OT period before Hodge notched an equalizer courtesy a man-up conversion at 1:17 to once again make it a tie game at 12-all.
Facing the potential for sudden victory, Madeleine Poissonnier concluded both Harvard and Brown’s seasons in dramatic fashion by lacing a shot from outside the left post and between the iron and Harvard goalkeeper Alexis Kieckhafer (Sr., Coto De Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) for the deciding blow with 37 seconds left in the second overtime frame.
For Harvard, Gilbert (four) and Hodge (two) both posted multi-goal games, while O’Dea, Zapata, Greenwald, Kim, Constandse and Heffelfinger registered solo scores. Kieckhafer finished with 11 saves in taking the loss.
Madeleine Poissonnier (three), Anderson (three) and Claire Poissonnier (three) each netted hat-tricks for the Bears with Palmer, Martin, Washer and Tidrenczel swishing solo strikes. Roxanne Hazuka (So., La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) picked up the victory in cage with six saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | – | FINAL | |
| No. 24 Brown University |
4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 13 |
| No. 20 Harvard University | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 12 |
| Harvard Goals: | Emma Gilbert (4); Ruby Hodge (2); Maya O’Dea; Dany Zapata; Kaity Greenwald; Erin Kim; Sasha Constandse; Heidi Heffelfinger | |||||||
| Brown Goals: | Madeleine Poissonnier (3); Aubrie Anderson (3); Claire Poissonnier (3); Ella Palmer; Sierra Martin; Cleo Washer; Hanan Tidrenczel | |||||||
| Saves: | Harvard – Alexis Kieckhafer (11, 31:20) Erin Kim 0 (40 seconds); Brown – Roxanne Hazuka (6) | |||||||
| Exclusions: | Harvard – 10 ; Brown – 13 | |||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Harvard – 8-for-13 ; Brown – 4-for-10 | |||||||
| Sprints: | Harvard – 5-for-6 (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) ; Brown – 1-for-6 (2nd) | |||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – Brown (Head coach Felix Mercado, 3 seconds left in 3rd Q); YC -Harvard (Head coach Ted Minnis, 4 second left in 2nd OT) | |||||||
| Officials: | Stephanie Villalobos, Easton Honaker | |||||||
Harvard University’s Lily Britt (#16) scans for an opening as Brown University’s Madeleine Poissonnier (#2) defends
Brown University’s Aubrie Anderson (#17)
Harvard University’s Emma Gilbert (#14)
Brown University’s Ella Palmer (#10) shoots as Harvard University’s Emma Gilbert (#14) attempts to close the gap
2024 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship Third Place: Brown University
