Women’s Water Polo Opens Season with Pair of Wins at Harvard Invitational

Pictured: Sophomore Devan Kennifer jumped to the top of the scoring list by tallying seven goals in the first day of the 2010 season.
Photo courtesy of DSPics.com.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.- After day one of the Harvard Invitational, the Harvard women's water polo team owns a 2-0 record. The Crimson rattled off a 16-2 win over Villanova in the opening game and followed it up with a 15-9 victory over Siena.

In the season-opening win over Villanova, sophomore Devan Kennifer led 10 players that found the back of the net for the Crimson. Kennifer tallied a hat trick in the inaugural game of the year. A pair of freshmen notched their first collegiate goals in the win. Aisha Price scored twice and classmate Elise Molnar recorded a tally. Kristina Bergquist, Patricia Smith and Monica Zdrojewski each netted two goals. Ita Barton-Kettleborough, Shami Entenman, Roxanne Pinto and Shannon Purcell provided the rest of the offense for Harvard by scoring one goal each. Between the posts, sophomore netminder Laurel McCarthy made four saves in the game.

The Crimson closed out the first day of action with six players notching goals to spark a 15-9 win over Siena. Harvard found itself facing an early 4-2 deficit but managed to rip off five straight goals to take a 7-4 lead over the Saints that it would not relenquish. In her second collegiate contest, Molnar turned in a five-goal performance to lead the way. Kennifer chipped in four scores to give her a grand total of seven goals on the day. Price and Zdrojewski each tallied two goals apiece while Smith and Pinto each found the back of the net once. McCarthy stopped six shots to anchor the Crimson defense.

The Crimson returns to action as it faces the New York Athletic Club and Iona on day two of the Harvard Invitational at Blodgett Pool, Feb. 7. Games begin at 9:30 a.m. with Harvard taking on the New York Athletic Club.