Stickwomen Down Slower Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Kate Martin captured the Crimson career scoring record and the Harvard field hockey team boosted its chances for post-season play last night as the stickwomen raced to a 3-1 triumph over Springfield at Benedum Field.

The win lifts the 20th-ranked Crimson (11-2-2) into the thick of contention for a berth in the 16-team NCAA National Championship tournament. Springfield (11-5) was rated 17th in the most recent NCAA poll, released last Thursday.

Harvard held a 2-0 edge with 10 minutes remaining in the first half when Martin found herself alone with the ball 11 yards from the goal. The senior right wing made a 170-degree turn on the ball and drove it at the right side of the net. When the ball thudded against the backboard, the Crimson had a 3-0 lead and Martin had made her school-record 33rd career score.

Martin's was the third Harvard tally in six and a half minutes, the stickwomen's biggest scoring blitz of the season. Martin played key roles in the first two goals as well.

It all started almost 19 minutes into the first half, when Andy Mainelli and Martin learned up for a two-on-one in the right half of the penalty circle. Mainelli drew the defender and pushed the ball to Martin, who wiggled across the goalmouth before feeding Bambi Taylor. The alert freshman tucked the ball past Maroon netminder Carol Kinsella to put Harvard on the board.

One minute and eight seconds later, the Crimson struck again Martin rolled the ball toward Kinsella, and Taylor redirected it at the now-open left side of the net. The ball might have rolled in untouched, but Jennifer White made sure of the score by punching it in over the goal line. The Crimson scoring spree was no small feat, as Kinsella and the Maroon defense had allowed just 16 goals in Springfield's 15 previous games.

The Harvard defense played true to form, giving up only two follow-up shots all game. Springfield's only goal came on a beautifully executed play 25 seconds into the second half, when freshman Chris Manning made a drive that Crimson defenders thought would fall harmlessly wide of the mark. What the Harvard defense didn't count on, though, was Springfield's speedy wing Sue Monalum charging the goalpost from outside of the penalty circle and reaching the ball in time to deflect it to the twines.

When the Going Gets Tough

If the Maroons had been able to score again quickly, the shift in momentum might have lifted Springfield to victory. But the goal shocked the Crimson as much as it sparked the Maroons, and Harvard netminder Juliet Lamont didn't allow another the rest of the night.

Not that Springfield didn't have its chances to score. Seven second-half penalty corners gave Springfield ample opportunity to cut into the 3-1 deficit, but, as in the past, Harvard broke up the defense's penalty corner plays before the attackers could even get a shot off.

Toby Carroll performed the most dramatic play-busting, racing out to the top of the penalty circle so quickly that she arrived just after the ball. Before the Maroons could set up a drive at the goal. Carroll's stick was in the way. As a result, Springfield's attackers hurried themselves, sometimes failing to stop the corner hit at all.

The Benedum Field playing surface is a smooth artificial turf, which helped the stick-women make the most of their outstanding speed Co-Captain Martin outran not only the Maroon marking her but the Springfield back-ups as well