W. Booters Soar Over Eagles, 1-0; Late Pinezich Goal Lifts Crimson

CHESTNUT HILL--It's always nice to beat a team on its own turf. Especially when you're not used to playing on turf.

Just ask Harvard women's soccer Co-Captain Karin Pinezich.

Last night, Pinezich was able to use the speedy, bouncy artificial turf here at Boston College's Alumni Field to pump in a breakaway goal late in the game to lead Harvard past the Eagles, 1-0.

The tally came with just seven minutes left in the game, as senior midfielder Julie Sasner made a beautiful pass to Pinezich from the 35-yard line. Pinezich raced past two Eagles, and knocked the ball into the left hand side of the net.

"It was a perfect through ball," Pinezich said, "and I just shot it."

Harvard, ranked 14th in national polls before the game, is now 6-0. The victory over the Eagles, who were ranked 17th, should advance the Crimson in the rankings.

The win was also the sixth consecutive shutout this season for two-time All-America goalkeeper Tracee Whitley who, despite her 11 saves, had trouble at times with the field.

"This was a nightmare situation," Whitley said. "The turf is faster, and the ball bounces differently." In one scary moment in the first half, a long Eagle serve nearly bounced over Whitley's head.

Whitley adjusted to the field, and made five tough saves in the last five minutes, when B.C. put together a rush to try to send the game into overtime.

"It got pretty intense there at the end," Sasner said. "They were all over us." The Eagle flurry caused a few minor cardiac arrests on the bench, "and in the box, too," Whitley said.

The bouncy ball made play adventurous as both teams traded scoring opportunities for most of the first half. A strong B.C. offensive surge at the end of the half was turned away by the Harvard defense--led by sophomore sweeper Andrea Montalbano and senior stopper Lori Barry.

"At halftime I told them we should be running through the ball, and not waiting for it to come to us," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said. "In the second half we started to win the balls we were losing in the midfield."

Wheaton's suggestion paid off as the Crimson came out on fire in the second half. The constant pressure applied by Harvard eventually led to the tie-breaking goal.

"We dug down and played hard the whole game," Wheaton said. "It was the first time we played the full 90 minutes without a lull. It was a very even game, and B.C. is an excellent team."

THE NOTEBOOK:Pinezich's goal was her third of the season...She is now the leading scorer on the team with eight points...Barry replaced freshman stopper Tracy Hackeling who claimed to be suffering from Harvard Union potato salad poisoning.