ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ Set to Meet Harvard at Pioneer Pool

  • March 18, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - The 19th-ranked ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ women's water polo team will play host to Harvard in its only game of the week this Friday at Pioneer Pool. The Pioneers (16-6) will look to extend their five-game winning streak before it hits the road again next week for a Spring Break trip to Indiana.

ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ is coming off a pair of wins last weekend at home where they topped Sonoma State, 10-9, and Macalester College, 16-4. The Pioneers posted their second close win of the season over the Seawolves, coming back from a three-goal deficit in the third quarter to score five straight goals and earn its eighth Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) victory of the season. Later in the afternoon, East Bay used an 11-1 run in the first two quarters to take down the Scots and finish the weekend sweep.

Freshman utility Claire Pierce added another nine goals to bring her team-leading total to 59 scores on the season. The Perth, Australia native has also drawn an almost unheard of 88 ejections this season, nearly as many as the rest of the team combined. Junior utility Whitney Bell, junior two meter Liz Warren and senior utility Jenna Casady rank second, third and fourth in goals, respectively, combining for 110 scores so far. Casady is tops on the team with 48 assists and 47 steals, while senior goalie Lauren Merrill is leading the defense with a 7.32 goals against average.

East Bay is currently in second place in the WWPA behind Division I No. 9 Loyola Marymount, which is undefeated in three conference games. The Pioneers have played nine games against league opponents and is 2-4 against ranked teams this season, also second in the conference to the Lions.

Harvard comes into the weekend with a 9-7 overall record and looking to regroup after back to back losses at No. 15 UC Davis and No. 7 San Jose State. The Crimson opened the season with six straight wins before going 3-7 in the last 10 games. Harvard's last win was a 7-4 victory over Fresno Pacific on March 15 in Davis.

The Crimson headed out for its West Coast tour boasting the CWPA Northern Division Player of the Week in sophomore two meter Devan Kennifer, whose 46 goals lead the team. In their last outing against San Jose State on Monday, Kennifer drew five ejections, while sophomore driver Monica Zdrojewski scored the hat trick to lead the Crimson. In goal, sophomore Laurel McCarthy has played in every game for Harvard, posting 108 saves on the year.

Crimson head coach Erik Farrar is in his sixth season at the helm. Farrar led Harvard to a seventh-place finish at the Eastern Championship in 2009, coaching Kennifer and Zdrojewski to postseason honors. The West Coast trip is also serving as a homecoming of sorts for Harvard's 10 California natives, including a pair of drivers from nearby Danville.

The Pioneers and the Crimson are set to get started at noon on Friday at Pioneer Pool.