Sophomore Natasha Whitney, who is also a Crimson news writer, was one of three Harvard women to notch a hat trick in yesterday’s rout of Utica. The Crimson lost Saturday’s games and won Sunday’s pair.

In sports, there are two types of losses. The first scenario involves the outright defeat—a game in which an insurmountable distance lies between a team and victory. In the second type, only a few plays decide which team takes home the W and which is just a viable competitor.

On Saturday, the Harvard women’s water polo team experienced both types of defeat.

The Crimson (9-11, 2-3 CWPA) dropped a 16-6 loss to No. 12 Hartwick (23-11, 5-1) early Saturday afternoon. Hours later, Harvard’s matchup with Brown (17-12, 4-1) was still undecided through the final minute, but the Bears ultimately clawed out an 11-10 win.

Sunday saw a reversal of roles, as the women’s squad trounced Utica (2-8, 0-5) and Connecticut College (2-3, 2-3) 19-2 and 23-4, respectively.

The Crimson will have the chance to prove itself as more than just a viable competitor against Brown again next Saturday in Norton, Mass.

“They’re a rival and they need to be knocked off,” Harvard coach Erik Farrar said. “We definitely would like to return the favor in their temporary home pool next Saturday.”

HARVARD 23, CONNECTICUT COLLEGE 4

The Crimson ended the weekend on a strong note by pummeling the Camels, 23-4. Freshman Monica Zdrojewski led the offensive charge with five goals that were complemented by co-captain Devon MacLaughlin’s three tallies and five ejections.

Freshmen Devan Kennifer and Ita Barton-Kettleborough joined the duo by adding their own hat tricks. A total of 11 Harvard players scored on Connecticut, which was also shut out in the second half of the game.

HARVARD 19, UTICA 2

Harvard took charge early and led by a dozen at halftime. The team’s sophomores had a field day against the Pioneers, as Patricia Smith, Shami Entenman and Natasha Whitney, a Crimson news writer, all registered hat tricks. The Crimson maintained stalwart defensive play, as well. Freshman netminder Laurel McCarthy racked up nine saves against the Pioneers and had 14 on the day.

Compared to Saturday’s games—especially the contest against Hartwick—the Crimson underwent an about-face in its play, taking complete control in the games on Sunday.

“This time of year teams change very quickly,” Farrar said.

BROWN 11, HARVARD 10

In the team’s final home game of the season, the Crimson stumbled out of the gate. Two exclusions and a Brown penalty shot provided the basis for an early 4-0 deficit. But Harvard refused to let the second match of the day go the way of the first and quickly turned the tide around.

“We did a great job of digging ourselves out of that hole,” Farrar said. “And it was game on from there.”

With the score at 4-3, the Crimson utilized back-to-back Kennifer goals to round out a 5-0 run. Kennifer contributed five goals throughout the game. The two teams jostled for the lead throughout the second half. Although Harvard held a 10-8 advantage to start the fourth, Brown’s offense amped up its tempo down the stretch and grabbed an 11-10 lead with two minutes to go.

The Crimson had one last opportunity to tie the game up with 34 seconds remaining. Zdrojewski got the ball inside to MacLaughlin, but a defender forced her to foul. Brown retook possession and waited out the clock to take the 11-10 victory.

“Brown-Harvard is a classic rivalry, so it always brings out a higher level in each team,” Farrar said. “They did a good job of closing the deal.”

HARTWICK 16, HARVARD 6

The first game of the weekend proved to be a challenging one. The Hawks sped out to 7-0 lead and held Harvard scoreless until 2:20 remained in the first half when Smith drove the ball into the Hartwick goal from midrange. The Hawks quickly responded at the other end of the pool, regaining their seven-point lead.

“The other team came out a little bit more intensely and we didn’t react to that from the get-go,” Zdrojewski said. “We have many opportunities to play Hartwick again and so we’re going to use that as a learning experience.”

The Crimson offense found difficulty establishing a steady rhythm, especially at center.

“We weren’t making enough space for either of the [centers] in the first game,” Farrar said. “They were just blindly throwing the ball into a fluffing defense with predictably unpleasant results.”

The Hartwick attack, on the other hand, fired on all cylinders. Despite eight saves from co-captain Nicola Perlman, who is also a former Crimson magazine chair, the Hawks closed out the game with a double digit lead at 16-6.

Regardless of the result, each player ended the day a big smile as the team celebrated the final home games of its two seniors, Perlman and MacLaughlin.

“When you’re starting five freshmen, you need even more from your leaders,” Farrar said. “They’ve done a fantastic job…They will be sorely missed.”

—Staff writer Emmett Kistler can be reached at ekistler@fas.harvard.edu.