Stickwomen Top Eagles, 1-0; Win First Boston Four Game

The Harvard field hockey team edged out a tough Boston College squad yesterday in a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Soldier's Field. Playing in its final Boston Four game of the season, the Crimson (9-3 overall, 4-0 Ivy League, 1-2 Boston Four) continues to impress opponents, posting its first win over the Eagles in the last four years.

"It was good to end with a win," Harvard Coach Sue Caples said. "B.C. has always been a team to watch."

The Crimson entered the contest with momentum from Sunday's 2-1 overtime win over Dartmouth in which Senior Char Joslin earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors for her play against the Green.

The first half was a sluggish one for the Crimson. After playing their last four games on artificial turf, Harvard had trouble adjusting to the slower grass field. The squad had no corners in the first half and few scoring opportunities.

"The first half was more of a hitting game than a passing game," said junior Anne van Dykum.

With 11 minutes remaining in the first half, an injury to the Eagles' Jennifer Mudano halted play for twenty minutes. The B.C. back fell to the ground after colliding with Harvard senior Lisa Cutone.

The second half found the Crimson more on the offensive. Tallying 11 corners, Harvard's intensity showed a definite upsurge.

"The second half went well," senior forward Sharon Landau said. "Our attention was good and we kept challenging ourselves."

But the Eagles consistently thwarted Harvard's scoring opportunities. The Cutone-to-Landau-to-Joslin connection executed well, but the ball never found its way to net.

Finally, with 20 minutes remaining, sophomore Ceci Clark connected with a Cutone corner and drilled a beautiful shot by the netkeeper for the lone tally of the game.

Clark and sophomores Sandra Whyte and Becky Gaffney controlled the midfield for the Crimson.

"They [Harvard's midfielders] had people to watch, and they did their job," Caples said."

The Crimson managed to preserve Lisa Yadao's shutout over the remaining 20 minutes.

Harvard looks to add another win to its unblemished Ivy League record when it meets Princeton Saturday at Soldier's Field.

"We're tired this time of the season," Caples said. "We have to work very hard."

THE NOTEBOOK: Van Dykum, a starter for the Crimson, split time with sophomore Loren Ambinder because of a broken thumb sustained in the Holy Cross game. The cast put on her hand was molded for her to grip a field hockey stick.