Brown University
Harvard
Santiago Nets Three, Women's Water Polo Falls to Harvard, 7-6
4/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior Olivia Santiago scored three goals, and freshman goalie Marisol Dakan did not allow the Crimson to convert on two penalty shots, but Brown University women's water polo fell to No. 20 Harvard University, 7-6, on Thursday night at Blodgett Pool.
The Bears (17-15, 3-4 CWPA) outscored the Crimson (18-10, 5-2 CWPA) 3-1 over the game's final seven minutes, but the hosts held on for the win to split the regular season series with the visitors. Brown beat Harvard 6-5 earlier this year in the Ivy Championship semifinals on Feb. 22.
Santiago (Los Altos, Calif.) paced the Bears' offense while sophomore Shannon Crowley (Seal Beach, Calif.) scored twice in the fourth quarter, and senior Liz Rosen (San Anselmo, Calif.) added a goal.
Dakan (Pasadena, Calif.) finished the game with 11 saves while Crowley added two steals and two assists. Santiago tallied three ejections drawn and two steals, and sophomore Marisa Kolokotronis (Sacramento, Calif.) drew three ejections.
After Harvard opened the game with a 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the quarter, the Bears responded with a pair of goals inside the period's final minute. Rosen netted her goal from the right wing to start the spurt, and Santiago tied the game at 2-2 as time expired in the quarter, whipping a no-look, backhanded shot into the goal.
Santiago opened the second quarter's scoring with a breakaway goal less than a minute into the frame to put Brown up 3-2. The Crimson knotted the game midway through the quarter. After a point-blank save from Dakan with 1:40 to go in the half, the hosts scored at the buzzer to take a 4-3 halftime lead.
Dakan made a pair of saves on back-to-back possessions early in the third quarter and turned aside a shot from the point late in the quarter allowing Harvard to score just once in the stanza and take a 5-3 edge heading to the fourth.
Dakan rejected a five-meter penalty shot after the fourth quarter's first possession. Harvard managed to move ahead 6-3 before the Bears began their rally.
Santiago started the run with a shot into the right side netting less than 90 seconds into the quarter, and Crowley scored her first goal of the game 30 seconds later with a shot into the left side netting on a quick restart.
The Crimson grabbed a 7-5 lead midway through the final frame, but Crowley brought the Bears within 7-6 with just over three minutes to play on a five-meter shot to the top right of the goal. Dakan forced the Crimson to miss another penalty shot with under a minute to play, but Brown could not extend the game to overtime.
Next, Brown hosts a pair of CWPA games on Saturday against George Washington (10 a.m.) and No. 13 Princeton (5 p.m.) to close the regular season prior to competing at the CWPA Championship at Princeton from April 24-26.
Harvard 7, Brown 6
Brown....................... 2…1…0…3…6
Harvard..................... 2…2…1…2…7
Brown Goals: Santiago 3, Crowley 2, Rosen.
Brown Saves: Dakan 11.
