Straight from the Hart: Laxwomen Shock UMass

It took a whole lot of Hart and a whole lot of soul, but finally--oh so finely--the Harvard women's lacrosse team proved there's life after the University of Massachusetts

Before some 250 revelling fans Saturday on Soldiers Field, the Crimson recorded one of its biggest wins in recent history--a 7-4 come from behind upset victory over the team that ruined its 1983 season

After UMass handed the Crimson a 7-6 last minute loss in the quarterfinals of last year's NCAA tournament, no one East or West of the Rio Grande handed this year's Harvard squad a legitimate chance

But it one era died when UMass abruptly ended the careers of Harvard's five most talented players on last year's team, certainly another blossomed Saturday on wet and dreary Soldiers Field when Maggie Hart--straight from New Mexico's Rio Grande--lead the Crimson to new heights

The Minuteman squad that a year ago contained a team many considered the finest in Harvard women's lacrosse history just couldn't contain Hart.

The Albuquerque N M native scored three second half goals, four overall, to help Harvard overcome a 4 2 halftime deficit and post a monumental victory over New England's top ranked team

"This is definitely the most satisfying win since I've been here," said Crimson Captain Hart

What made it most satisfying was not the revenge the Crimson earned by beating UMass, nor the higher national ranking the Crimson will most certainly earn when the poll comes out today.

Instead what made the Crimson's sixth straight victory of the season so important was what it did to the rumors of Harvard's death.

"This win shuts everybody up," Harvard Coach Carole Kleinfelder said "This will once and for all stop everybody from comparing this team with last year's team

"We've now done something that team couldn't do."

Two time losers to UMass a year ago (the Minutemen defeated Harvard 7-6 in the regular season as well), the Crimson now sports a 6-1 record that includes a six game winning streak

And it also sports a new outlook on life.

We just squeezed out some of those [early season] victories," junior defender Jennifer Greeley said "But with this we proved something to a lot of teams as well as to ourselves"

I think that we thought this would be an easy game," UMass Coach Polly Keener said after wards "We weren't ready for this. Harvard took advantage of everything"

The showdown that brought together New England's top two teams (Harvard was ranked second in preseason polls) saw the visiting Minutemen completely take advantage during the first half

"We didn't get one draw [faceoff] in the first half," Kleinfelder said afterwards

In fact, in the game's opening few minutes all the Crimson got was shell shocked

Three different goals from three different Minutemen put the visitors on top, 3 0 with 8 31 left in the first half and had the Crimson hearing a quiet dirge

Hart and junior Lisa Black sandwiched Harvard score's around another UMass goal to make it a 4-2 UMass lead at the half

But even Harvard's Andy Mainelli admitted. "Things looked grim at halftime"

Things never looked better, though than in the second half, when the entire Crimson squad displayed its finest lacrosse of the year.

And no one was finer than Hart, who put on a masterful show while scoring Harvard goals three five and six.

"To her credit," Kleinfelder said, "Maggic took charge She wasn't going to be denied."

It was junior Claire Farley who snuck Harvard tally number four past Minutemen netminder Debbie DeJesus and sophomore Blair Wardenburg who finished things with goal number seven

"What was great was how the attack really came back and did it for us," defenseman Mainelli said

How Nice

"What was great was how completely the defense shut them down," attackman Hart countered

Certainly, Harvard's ability to keep the explosive Minutemen off the scoreboard for the entire second half proved the difference. With Greeley and Bambi Taylor double teaming UMass superstar Pam Moryl, the Minutemen failed to pose a challenge to the inspired Crimson, who used more soul than talent to clinch the victory

And after the wild celebration had finished, Kleinfelder stepped back to put the whole thing in perspective.

"No one thought we could do it," she said.

"They were wrong."

THE NOTEBOOK Krickett Johnson went the whole way in goal for Harvard...The Crimson shifts its attention to the Ivy League now, facing Brown, Cornell, Yale and Dartmouth in the next two weeks...Coaches from Northwestern and Penn were on hand Saturday to watch the Crimson. Harvard, 7-4 At Soldiers Field UMass  4  0--4 Harvard  2  5--7

Goals M Tammy Martin, 2. Pam Moryl, Mary Scott H. Maggie Hart, 4, Lisa Black, Claire Farley, Blair Wardenburg

Assists H. Alyce Wright

Saves M. Debbie DeJesus, 7. H. Knckett Johnson, 5

Goals M Tammy Martin, 2. Pam Moryl, Mary Scott H. Maggie Hart, 4, Lisa Black, Claire Farley, Blair Wardenburg

Assists H. Alyce Wright

Saves M. Debbie DeJesus, 7. H. Knckett Johnson, 5