Stickwomen Nip Red, Capture League Lead

ITHACA, N.Y.--It's good to be in control. The Harvard field hockey team discovered that here at Schoellkopf Field Saturday when it dominated Cornell in a 1-0 Crimson win. But more importantly, the win, combined with Penn goalie Sue Donohue's six saves in the Quakers' 0-0 tie with Brown (3-0-1 Ivy), put the Crimson in control of the Ivy League race.

Senior forward Lisa Cutone didn't score the game-winner until 18:35 was remaining in the contest, but the Crimson (7-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy) kept the ball on the Big Red (2-5-2, 1-2) side of the field for most of the game. Harvard was also far ahead in the statistical categories--taking 15 corners to Cornell's three (two in the final 30 seconds). Harvard goalie Lisa Yadao was forced to make only one save on her way to her second shutout in three Ivy games, while Cornell netminder Yanaka Bernal stopped nine Harvard shots.

"We did control the game," Harvard Coach Sue Caples said. "Frequently, teams crowd and pack everything in. We opened the field up, made back passes and made them chase when we were in possession."

Backs Ceci Clark, Co-Captain Erin O'Brien and Lynn Frangione managed to cut off most of Cornell's few forays into Harvard territory and keep the pressure off Yadao.

"[Harvard's] defense was just too strong for us. Their sidebacks were really blocking well," Cornell Coach Shelby Bowman said. "We try to bring the ball down the wings. Normally, we bring it down the left a lot and our left wing wasn't able to bring it down at all."

"We're confident right now," Caples said, "and when you're confident and comfortable with the ball, you're going to do good things."

Co-Captain Char Joslin dominated the midfield throughout most of the second half, helping to attack Bernal and set up Harvard's eight second-half corners. Cutone's goal, her fifth of the year, followed a corner which produced a flurry in front of the Cornell goal. Cutone dug the ball out of the confusion in front of the net and flipped it into the upper right corner of the goal. Bernal had fallen down on the play making a save on the initial shot.

"Harvard's got good stickwork," Bowman said. "Char Joslin is dominating out there. We tried to get on her and she still took control of the second half."

The Last Hurrah

Cornell applied a little pressure after halftime, forcing Yadao to make her save with 13 minutes remaining and taking all three of its corners in the last 12 minutes of the game. But Sandra Whyte's aggressive defensive play thwarted all three of Cornell's serious threats.

The Big Red's Jackie Hymans did slap the ball into the Harvard goal with eight seconds remaining in the game, but the score didn't count because she was offside by five feet.

THE NOTEBOOK: Cutone's goalties her for the team lead in scoring with Joslin...Harvard's remaining Ivy schedule includes home games against Dartmouth next week, Princeton in two weeks and a road game against Brown November 1...The last time the Crimson visited Ithaca, the Big Red shut out Harvard, 1-0.