CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- After finishing 2008 with a 12-12 record, the Harvard women’s water polo team will look to make continued improvement in 2009, but must make up for the loss of six seniors, including All-Northern Division second-team members Vivian Liao and Lauren Snyder. A solid group of returnees will look to guide Harvard, ranked eighth in the preseason CWPA poll, through another demanding schedule.

Senior co-captain Devon MacLaughlin, the two-meter offensive player, returns after tallying three or more goals in nine different games last season, including a season-high five in a 14-13 win against St. Francis March 9. Senior co-captain Nicola Perlman, who saw most of the action in goal last year, will anchor the Crimson defense after a solid junior campaign, including two 13-save performances at Siena and Hartwick March 8.

Head coach Erik Farrar will look to a quartet of juniors to provide experience behind MacLaughlin, the CWPA Northern Division Player of the Week last March 4, and Perlman, the only two seniors on the team and the Crimson’s other two members of the All-Northern Division second team. Drivers Kristina Bergquist, Kathryn Bilder, Kelly Peeler and Roxanne Pinto all made significant contributions throughout the 2008 season and will be counted on to lead the offense for the Crimson.

Three sophomores look to build upon their rookie campaigns and will be counted on to provide offensive firepower for the Crimson. Drivers Shami Entenman and Natasha Whitney and utility player Patricia Smith all were crucial cogs in the Crimson’s 2008 offense and will see their roles increase come 2009.

Farrar, now in his fifth season in charge of the men’s and women’s water polo teams, and assistant coaches Ellen Estes Lee (second season) and Rick Offsay (fourth season) brought in six freshmen to bolster the loss of last year’s seniors. Drivers Lizzie Abbott, Devan Kennifer, Shannon Purcell and Monica Zdrojewski all will look to get their feet wet early, while Laurel McCarthy will provide backup to Perlman in goal. Ita Barton-Kettleborough, a Manchester, England native, will look to provide strong defense at the two-meter defense position.

The Crimson kicks off its season by hosting the Harvard Invitational Feb. 14-15 at Blodgett Pool. Harvard will then play the next month and a half away from Cambridge, starting with the Princeton Invitational Feb. 21-22 and followed by the Elite 6 Tournament Feb. 28-March 1 at Bucknell.

Two weeks later, Harvard hits the road again, taking on Hartwick, the No. 14 team in the final 2008 women’s varsity poll, and the New York Athletic Club March 14 and 15, respectively. Harvard then makes a trip out west to play six games in seven days, starting with a match at Stanford March 21.

The Crimson plays at Sonoma State and Pacific March 24, followed by a pair of games March 26 at UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis. Harvard finished the trip by taking on Cal State Monterey Bay March 27. Stanford and UC Davis finished third and fifth in last season’s final varsity poll, while UC Santa Cruz completed the year as the No. 4 team in Division III.

A four-game weekend awaits the Crimson after the California trip, starting with a pair of games against Hartwick and Brown April 4 at 1:30 and 6 p.m. at Blodgett Pool. Harvard then heads to New London, Conn., the next day to take on Utica and Connecticut College. Harvard finishes the regular season April 9 at Brown, last year’s 20th-ranked team at the end of the season.

The Crimson then returns to New London for the Northern Division Championships April 18-19 and will host the Eastern Championships April 24-26 at Blodgett.

Released courtesy Harvard Athletic Communications