Women Booters Race Past Stalling Jumbos, 2-0

The Tufts' women's soccer team thought they could stop the potent Harvard's offense yesterday afternoon in Medford by sagging as many as eight defenders around the penalty area. They were partially right.

The Crimson booters didn't knock in any goals on their own. Instead, under intense pressure from the Harvard forward line, the Tufts' fullbacks twice (yes, twice) dumped the ball into their own net, and Harvard walked away with its second consecutive 2-0 win of the still-young season.

If the offense as a whole is still feeling its way a little bit, the defense has been relentless. The ball stayed in the Tufts' end of the field for a full three quarters of the game, partly because of the "Tufts' sag," but also a result of the tough play of the Crimson midfielders, who continually turned the Jumbos break-outs around.

And if the ball did happen to get through, Jeannie Piersiak, Harvard's center fullback and definitely a goalie's best friend, seemed to be everywhere at once, blocking balls and quickly sending them back into the offensive zone.

Ann Diamond, the team's freshman goaltender, spent most of the game straining to see the action at the other end of the field. When she left the game with 30 minutes to go in favor of her roommate, Susan Newell, she had made only one save, on an easy roller from outside the penalty area.

In her 30 minutes of play, Newell also recorded just one save, again on an easy chance.

"We did some really nice things out there," coach Bob Scalise said after the game. "We had some people who were a little bit off today, not playing as well as they know they can, but we also had some out there who turned in the best games of their careers."

Freshman striker Joan Elliott's career is now just two games long, but she was one player who had quite an afternoon.

Elliott received credit for the first Harvard goal, when her own cross-pass out over the middle to Kelly Gately was deflected by Tufts' fullback Jodie Freeman over the goal line at 5:55 of the first half. Aside from her goal, Elliott was on the ball in the offensive zone all afternoon.

Fresh Faces

The Crimson's second goal, at 41:39 of the first half, came as the result of some nice moves down the left sideline by winger Laura Mayer. When Mayer crossed the ball in front of the net, where Crimson right wing Cat Ferrante was waiting, another Tufts' fullback, Heather Sibbison, slid to block the ball and ended up sliding it into the goal.

"I was a little disappointed in the way Tufts played, trying to slow the game down so much," Scalise said. "It seemed like they were just going for a close loss."

THE NOTEBOOK: Tufts didn't exactly fill the air with shots...the Crimson women outshot the Jumbos 27-2. Star center forward Sue. St. Louis was sidelined with 20 minutes to go in the game, with a bad bruise just over her right knee. She may skip practice today, but should be ready for Saturday's game at B.U.

. . . Two Tufts' players also left the game with injuries, one suffering from an ankle sprain and the other with a cut over her right eye... Saturday's game (11 a.m. at Nickerson field) will mark the first appearance for the Crimson on artificial turf. Scalise will try to get them across the river to practice on it some time this week.