Stickwomen Foiled Yet Again in Overtime

The Harvard field hockey team has seen a lot of playing time lately. A lot of overtime playing time in particular.

The Crimson has played a total of nine games this season--and five of them have dragged into overtime. Saturday morning in Hanover, N.H., the stickwomen, looking for their first Ivy League victory of the year, had to settle for a 2-2 tie with Dartmouth.

"I've never had to do anything like this before," Harvard forward Char Joslin said of her team's overtime habit. "Ninety minutes is hard on the system, especially since we've played five of them."

The Crimson is now 2-4-3 overall, 0-1-2 Ivy.

Neither team tallied in the first half of Saturday's contest, but Dartmouth broke the ice with a goal on a penalty corner midway through the second half of regulation.

But the shocked stickwomen responded with a goal of their own less than 10 minutes after the Big Green tally.

On a penalty corner, Nicole Simourian hit out to Gia Barresi, who redirected the ball to Joslin. Joslin's shot on goal bounced off the goalie's pads--but Crimson forward Cindi Ersek picked up the rebound and sent it into the net to tie the game.

Harvard jumped ahead with a quick goal in the first 10-minute overtime half, as freshman Sharon Landau knocked in a Joslin pass. The lead proved quick-lived, however, as the Crimson was whistled for an obstruction penalty in front of the net with time running out.

Dartmouth standout Kate Perle popped the ball past Harvard goalie Denise Katsias on the penalty stroke, evening the score at two goals apiece.