A strong offensive performance led to the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team earning a victory against Boston University, with Kendra Harbinger at the forefront of the offensive action. Harbinger had three goals and three assists in Saturday’s contest.
“She’s an all-star player,” head coach Angela McMahon-Serpone said of Harbinger. “She fits in with our offense. And I think everybody is really doing a great job of making the most of their opportunities when they’re out there but doing it together.”
Harbinger earned her hat trick goal after being stationed perfectly in front of the net and receiving a pass from Alex Finn. Out of four games this season, this is third time that Harbinger recorded three or more goals.
“I just want to finish the season knowing I gave my full effort and just having fun,” Harbinger said of her motivation this year. “My teammates have been the biggest thing [for me].”
Harbinger emphasized the strong offensive efforts by the Minutewomen (3-1), explaining that they have multiple threats, making it hard for the opposing team’s defense to guard everyone.
Harbinger’s efforts lingered into the defensive side as well. During a transition play for the Terriers (0-4), Harbinger was able to cause a turnover at midfield recovered the ball, quickly transitioning back to offense. She passed the ball to Fiona McGowen who tucked it away and put the Minutewomen up by one.
“I think she was riding really hard,” McMahon-Serpone said. “I thought all of our attackers did such a great job of getting back and really putting a lot of pressure on those BU defenders.”
Late in the first quarter Harbinger was fouled and drew a free position attempt. Instead of taking a shot on the play, she passed the ball off to Alex Finn who was able to find the back of the net. Less than a minute later, Finn got her second goal of the day and Harbinger earned the assist once again. At the conclusion of the first period, Harbinger was involved in three of the seven total goals that were scored.
With just 30 seconds remaining in the half, Harbinger got her first goal of the day and ended a three-goal run by BU. This got the offensive momentum going once again for the Minutewomen.
“I think just staying creative,” Harbinger said of what she needs to do going forward. “It makes you really hard to guard when you’re really deceptive, faking people out.”
In her first year year at Albany, Harbinger set a record for most points in a game by a freshman, with nine against Vermont. At the end of that season she was named the 2018 American East Rookie of the Year. As a sophomore and senior, she was named to the American East All-Conference Second Team, and during her senior year she ended the season with 48 points. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harbinger was given an extra year of eligibility and chose to play her fifth year at UMass.
Harbinger’s impact on the Minutewomen offense has already been felt in just four games this season. In the season opener against UMass Lowell, she recorded a total of four goals, the most by any player during that game. She matched that total in the third game of the year Vermont. Despite falling to No. 1 Boston College, the graduate student recorded one of the only five goals scored in that game.
“It’s been a great experience,” Harbinger said, reflecting on her short time at UMass. “I think the best past is meeting all these awesome girls. They’ve been really welcoming, and we’ve had a lot of fun this season, and I’m excited for the rest of the season with them.”
Sophie Weller can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @SophieeWellerr.
