The Harvard women’s water polo team (14-7, 5-1 CWPA) trekked to sunny California to take on some of the nation’s best in its annual spring break trip. Adjusting to outdoor play proved to be a smooth transition as the Crimson claimed three wins out of five games in just four days of play.

Harvard opened up play on Sunday with a 14-4 victory against Sonoma St. (6-13). Monday brought a new challenge, as the Crimson defeated Fresno Pacific (5-14) by score of 13-5 and fell to No. 11 UC Davis (12-9), 11-10, in double overtime later in the day. Harvard followed with an 11-8 loss to No. 15 University of the Pacific (7-7) and a 15-8 victory over Cal State East Bay (6-12) before earning a day off on Thursday.

“We’ve talked all year about how this season is a staircase, and we want to be climbing that staircase each day to keep getting better,” Crimson coach Ted Minnis said. “In years past, this stretch would’ve been a tall order for us. I think we’ve really turned the corner as a team.”

HARVARD 15, CAL STATE EAST BAY 8

The Harvard women’s water polo team scored nine goals in the first half against Cal State East Bay and tallied six more in the second as the Crimson defeated the Pioneers by score of 15-8.

Junior attacker Yoshi Andersen scored three consecutive goals late in the third period and in the final frame, chalking up four goals for the day. Junior attacker Charlotte Hendrix and sophomore attacker Michelle Martinelli each added a goal in the middle of the fourth period to cap off a 5-0 Crimson run.

Freshman goalkeeper Cleo Harrington totaled 10 saves to keep the Pioneer offense at bay. Hendrix and sophomore attacker Alexis Del Toro led the squad with four assists each.

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC 11, HARVARD 8

An early defensive battle, which included 14 saves from senior goalkeeper Ariel Dukes, turned into a shootout late in the game, as the Crimson allowed seven goals in the second half of play.

In the fourth period, the Tigers ran away with what had been a close match until then. With a 7-6 lead heading into the fourth frame, Pacific netted four goals in the quarter, while Harvard failed to keep up the pace. Captain Victoria Frager and Hendrix each scored one goal in the final period.

Harvard came out strong early on, scoring the first two goals of the game, only to give up four straight before halftime. Frager tallied a goal in the third period to tie the game at 6-6, but Pacific outscored the Crimson 5-2 the rest of the way to hold onto the victory. 

UC DAVIS 11, HARVARD 10

Del Toro tied the game 10-10 for the Crimson in the second overtime period with her second goal of the game, only to have UC Davis reclaim the lead and hold onto the victory, scoring with only 44 seconds left to play in extra time.

With four minutes left in the third period, Harvard trailed by five, only managing to put three goals past the Aggies until that point. The Crimson stormed back and only allowed one goal in the period following a timeout, while providing three of its own, including two from sophomore 2-meter Melissa Balding and one from Hendrix before the end of the period.

With an upset in the making, it was freshman goalkeeper Cleo Harrington who saved four shots, which was enough to shut out the Aggies in the final frame. Frager kicked off the scoring 35 seconds into the fourth period, and a UC Davis ejection sparked a goal from Grabb to pull within one. It was Del Toro who tied the game with four minutes remaining, and the score remained deadlocked at nine until the end of regulation.

“When it was 8-3 in the third, [coach Minnis] told us to just keep chipping away,” Hendrix said. “We got ourselves in the mindset that we needed to play solid offense and solid defense, and we went from there.”

HARVARD 13, FRESNO PACIFIC 5

For the second game in a row, Balding led the scoring charge for Harvard, and for the second game in a row, the sophomore notched four goals, including three in the first half. While the Sunbirds fought back, the Crimson proved too offensively efficient, and the offense erupted again for 13 goals in the game.

In the second period, Harvard outscored its opponent 4-1, stretching the lead to five by halftime. Hendrix and Andersen each tallied two goals in the second period.

Junior attacker Rachel Lobato added two goals for the Crimson, as the team carried its halftime momentum through the remainder of the game. Two more goals from Harvard put the game out of reach for Fresno Pacific, as the Crimson extended its west coast win streak to two.

HARVARD 14, SONOMA ST. 4

California native Melissa Balding made an immediate impact for the Crimson during her homecoming, tallying four goals on the day including three in the first half.

The Seawolves chalked up three goals in the second period, but the Crimson offense proved overwhelming as it carried an 8-3 lead into halftime. Frager added two goals, and Hendrix picked up two of her own to push the Harvard lead to 10 by the start of the fourth period.

The final period provided a defensive struggle from both teams, as Harvard freshman attacker Sami Strutner scored the frame’s lone goal.

“This team is very hungry,” Minnis said. “They want to give themselves the best opportunity to make it to the NCAA Championship. These are games that help us learn to play at a high level.”

Harvard continues its California road trip this Saturday at No. 2 and defending national champion, Stanford.