Bulldogs' Bark Frightens Stickwomen

The destruction of the Harvard field hockey team has been powerful and swift. A pack of well-trained Yale Bulldogs roared into Soldiers Field yesterday afternoon and finished the job, scoring a pair of first-half goals to win a 2-0 decision.

The foundering stickwomen, headed for a successful season and a playoff berth just a few weeks ago, now own a 4-6-3 mark and will put their championship hopes to rest for another Autumn.

It has not been a good stretch run for the Crimson. Injuries, weather and travel have contributed to the demise, but in the end coach Edie MacAusland's heroes--0-3-1 in their last four outings--have been outplayed when they needed it most.

Flat

Somehow, the team seems to go flat at the same time the opposition gets fired up. Ask Christie Littlejohn or Michele Somes--two Eli forwards who found seams in the usually airtight Crimson defense to notch early goals.

Littlejohn's marker, a neat little flip just four minutes into the game, proved to be all that Yale needed, as tough defense on both sides turned the contest into a referee's delight--not much penetration in either direction. The Crimson managed to aim nine shots at the visitor's cage, but only three met with goalie Martha Finney's stick, and none got further.

"It was a big defensive game," link Annie Velie said after the contest. "The two goals were both breakthroughs, but otherwise there wasn't much."

Harvard's lack of penetration resulted in only six penalty corners, usually a prime scoring opportunity. Chris Sailer did convert two of the six into shots (Yale was one for 12), but otherwise the stickwomen treated the Bulldog circle like a minefield--traversing it only when necessary, and then with the utmost care.

Speed

"They were quick to the ball and they got rid of it fast, "Harvard forward Kate Martin said. "They're a fast, hard-driving team."

Martin, who still needs one goal to tie the Harvard record of 12 in one season, managed only one shot on the day, and stayed away from the play for long chunks of time.

"I really didn't cut in front of the ball at all in the first half," she said.

Part of the problem stemmed from the nature of Martin's postion. As cherrypicker, the forward who says upfield despite the situation--she can't get too involved in a game played largely at midfield.