ONEONTA, NY - The Hartwick water polo team routed visiting Harvard University, 20-5, on Monday in the home opener for the Hawks. The 15-goal margin of victory is tied for the 2nd-largest over the Crimson in Hartwick history, second only to a 24-7 win in 2007. The Hawks are now 7-6 overall on the year.
Hartwick jumped out to a three-goal lead in the opening 1:50 of the game on tallies by Jemma Dendy Young (Cape Town, South Africa), Sasha Freeborn (Auckland, New Zealand), and Charlotte Mensink (Nijverdal, Netherlands). Mensink would add her second the game later in the period and Lily Martinez (Commerce, CA) scored twice in a 33 second span to push the lead to six.
Jessica McKee (Tustin, CA) tacked on another score with one second to go in the period and the Hawks led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Crimson finally got on the scoreboard 28 seconds into the second quarter and got as close as five, 9-4, with 1:56 to play before halftime. Goals, however, by Sami Capparelli (Miami, FL) and Mensink made it 11-4 after two periods.
The Hawks cruised in the second half, outscoring the Crimson 3-1 in the third quarter and holding them without a goal in the fourth, 6-0, for the final 20-5 margin.
Martinez finished as the day's top scorer with four tallies. She added two assists. Capparelli, Mensink, and Lisa Bass (Montreal, Quebec) each added three goals for 'Wick. Mensink added three assists and a game-high six steals. Bass contributed three helpers.
Dendy Young finished with two goals and Shannon Leonard (Pointe Clair, Quebec) registered a game-high four assists, and she contributed two steals, and a goal. Goalie Jess Dorman (Auckland, New Zealand) stonewalled the Crimson offense with 18 saves. She also had two assists and a pair of steals.
Harvard was led by Monica Zdrojewski, who scored two goals. Aisha Price, Christy DiSilvestro, and Elise Molnar added one goal apiece.
The Hawks are off until early March. 'Wick plays at Princeton against George Washington and Maryland on March 5th. The Hawks face the Tigers the following day.
