Field Hockey Hammered by B.U., 7-1

BOSTON--It didn't take long for the Boston University field hockey team to get going last night. And the Terriers didn't stop until the game ended.

The final score was B.U. 7, Harvard 1, and that was about how close the game at Nickerson Field was. Except for a 10-minute portion of the first half, the No. 9 Terriers utterly dominated play, handing No. 16 Harvard (4-3, 1-0 Ivy) its first loss this season by more than one goal.

"They're an outstanding team," Harvard coach Sue Caples said. "They're very skilled, but we could have played with them longer. Against a team of this caliber, we have to play for 70 minutes."

B.U. sure didn't let up. Forty-five seconds into the contest, Terrier Michele Barnard took a 40-yard pass from teammate Leonie Kortenhorst, stopped to control the ball at the top of the arc and blasted it past freshman goalie Anya Cowan.

Harvard then evened things up four minutes later on a corner shot by co-captain Daphne Clark and almost took the lead a bit later when junior Eileen Horwath's shot past the goalie was knocked aside by a back.

This game was not meant to be a close one, however. The B.U. blitzkrieg got underway with about 20 minutes left in the first half and never ended.

The Terriers' plan of attack was simple. The superior stick play of their midfielders and forwards efficiently pressed the ball into the Crimson arc, at which time the attackers would draw a corner. B.U.'s only goal not directly caused by a penalty corner was its first, in fact.

And on the corners, Harvard's defense couldn't cope with all of the B.U. options. Barnard would hit the ball out, and Kim Koss would stop it for either Vera Schofield (a lift specialist) or Leonie Kortenhorst (a hard shooter). Meanwhile, Barnard drifted over to the post, either to receive a pass in the slot or go after a rebound.

The results? The Terriers had 14 corners and scored on six of them. Barnard had three (two in the slot, one off a rebound), Kortenhorst had one on a slapshot, Schoenfeld had one on a lift and Sharon Eifes tallied a goal on a penalty stroke called while the Terriers tried to jam a rebound past Cowan.

In contrast, Harvard only had three corners on the day, including the aforementioned one.

"B.U. has excellent corners," Caples said. "We didn't defend....We had the game plan--we knew exactly what they were going to do--but when the game started, we stopped thinking."

The Terriers scored four goals by the end of the first half, all coming from Barnard. The Crimson held its attack for the first 15 minutes of the second half, but a four-minute run of four B.U. corners was too much for Harvard to bear, and the floodgates opened again with three more goals.

Harvard next takes on Penn in Philadelphia on Saturday for its second Ivy League game.

Notes

Before the game, Cowan had held the highest save percentage in the NCAA. She stayed in the cage for all seven tonight, however, making 17 saves while being bombarded. Terrier goalie Noreen Flanagan only made two saves.

This was Harvard's first blowout loss of the season. Its prior defeats were both 2-1 jobs at the hands of Duke and UConn. However, all three of the team's losses are to Top-10 competition. Harvard  1 B.U.  7

BOSTON UNIVERSITY, 7-1 at Boston, MA. Harvard  1  0  --  1 B.U.  4  3  --  7

First Half

B.U.--Barnard (Kortenhorst) 00:45.

Har--Clark (Collins, DiMarzio) 5:08.

B.U.--Barnard (Kortenhorst) 19:17.

B.U.--Barnard (Schoenfeld) 21:45.

B.U.--Barnard (no assist) 34:08.

Second Half

B.U.--Kortenhorst (Barnard, Kos) 20:54.

B.U.--Schoenfeld (Brenno, Barnard) 27:18.

B.U.--Stuart (penalty stroke) 31:02.

Saves: Har--Cowan 17; B.U.--Flanagan 2.

Penalty Corners: Har--3; B.U.--14.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY, 7-1 at Boston, MA. Harvard  1  0  --  1 B.U.  4  3  --  7

First Half

B.U.--Barnard (Kortenhorst) 00:45.

Har--Clark (Collins, DiMarzio) 5:08.

B.U.--Barnard (Kortenhorst) 19:17.

B.U.--Barnard (Schoenfeld) 21:45.

B.U.--Barnard (no assist) 34:08.

Second Half

B.U.--Kortenhorst (Barnard, Kos) 20:54.

B.U.--Schoenfeld (Brenno, Barnard) 27:18.

B.U.--Stuart (penalty stroke) 31:02.

Saves: Har--Cowan 17; B.U.--Flanagan 2.

Penalty Corners: Har--3; B.U.--14.

First Half

B.U.--Barnard (Kortenhorst) 00:45.

Har--Clark (Collins, DiMarzio) 5:08.

B.U.--Barnard (Kortenhorst) 19:17.

B.U.--Barnard (Schoenfeld) 21:45.

B.U.--Barnard (no assist) 34:08.

Second Half

B.U.--Kortenhorst (Barnard, Kos) 20:54.

B.U.--Schoenfeld (Brenno, Barnard) 27:18.

B.U.--Stuart (penalty stroke) 31:02.

Saves: Har--Cowan 17; B.U.--Flanagan 2.

Penalty Corners: Har--3; B.U.--14.