Harvard opened a string of contests on the sunny West Coast this past Saturday against the No. 1 Stanford Cardinals, followed by a match-up against Sonoma State on Sunday afternoon. The Crimson (5-7) dropped the contest against the Cardinals 20-2, but rallied with a hard-fought victory over Sonoma State, 8-7. The two contests mark the beginning of Harvard’s California Spring Break road trip, its longest road trip of the season.

All week competition is played outdoors where Harvard faces a harsher environment than at home in Blodgett Pool.

“The ball does behave a little differently [outdoors],” Crimson coach Erik Farrar said. “So [the team] has to reacclimate to the conditions.”

Harvard closes out the six-game week against Pacific, UC-Santa Cruz, No. 12 UC-Davis, and Cal State-Monterey Bay later in the week.

“We’re looking for experience out here,” Farrar said of the Crimson’s goals for the week. “We’re playing six games against six good teams…and if we can play with them, even just for stretches in a game, it gives us a chance to know what we’re made of.”

HARVARD 8, SONOMA STATE 7

The Crimson rebounded from its loss to Stanford to outscore the Sonoma State Seawolves in comeback fashion on Sunday afternoon at Rohnert Park, Calif. With the win, Harvard advanced to 5-7 overall on the season and 1-1 to start its six-game West Coast trip.

Sonoma State jumped to an early 3-1 lead in the first quarter with Harvard failing to convert on several initial opportunities. The Crimson still trailed the Seawolves 6-3 at the half.

“It took us a little while to adapt to the officiating, and we got into a little foul trouble early,” Farrar said of the first half.

In the second half, momentum shifted in Harvard’s favor. The Crimson defense put up a wall against the charging Sonoma State offense, allowing only one goal by the Seawolves the remainder of the game. Co-captain Nicola Perlman, who is also a former Crimson magazine chair, saved 11 shots, including two fired at close range from a mere five meters out.

Harvard’s offense ignited in the second half. The Crimson outscored Sonoma State 4-0 in the third quarter and 5-1 overall in the second half of the game.

“The team just took [Sonoma State’s] punch from the first half,” Farrar said. “Then [the girls] dug in and went right back at them.”

Five different players tallied points for the Crimson on Sunday. Freshmen Monica Zdrojewski and Shannon Purcell recorded two goals apiece. Junior Kristina Bergquist and freshman Devan Kennifer added scores of their own. And, with 1:32 remaining in the game, freshman Lizzie Abbott netted the crucial goal to put the Crimson ahead of the Seawolves.

NO. 1 STANFORD 20, HARVARD 2

Harvard fell to the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal in its first game of a weeklong trip to the West Coast Saturday evening. Stanford held a 12-0 advantage over the Crimson until the third quarter when Harvard responded with two goals of its own.

“By the third quarter of the game we didn’t let the fact that they are the No. 1 team get to us,” sophomore Patty Smith said. “We didn’t let them get to us and decided to play our game.”

Junior Roxanne Pinto and Smith recorded Harvard’s scores against the tough Cardinal defense. On the defensive end, Perlman had six saves between the pipes for the Crimson. Harvard dropped to 4-7 on the season.

“This week will be a test of our endurance,” Smith said. “We’re playing almost everyday against some challenging opponents.”