A Game of Chances

There is no more crucial match in college soccer than an NCAA Tournament game. There is nothing more dramatic than a tournament game decided in sudden death overtime. And there is nothing more devastating than losing one on an own goal.

Nothing showed that better than the stunned looks and tears of disappointment on the faces of the Harvard women's soccer team moments after they dropped a heartbreaking triple-overtime decision to UMass at Ohiri Field yesterday. Freshman defender Jessica Larson's ill-struck header in the 131st minute resulted in an own goal and put a premature end to Harvard's sparkling 1996 season.

Even with a few hours' perspective on the game, Harvard's 2-1 loss remains puzzling. A glance at the box score, for one, provides little insight into the Crimson's stunning defeat.

It seems like Harvard should have won easily. The shots were a whopping 35 to 14 in Harvard's favor, and UMass goalkeeper Danielle Dion was forced to make 20 saves while Jen Burney only had to make eight stops (or nine, if everything had gone right). And the Crimson won 10 more corner kicks than the Minutewomen did, which is usually a good indication of a soccer team's attacking success.

Yet it is UMass, and not Harvard, who is marching on to face UConn in the second round.

With the ball consistently in UMass' half of the field for the better part of the 131-minute marathon, it was clear that Harvard played the superior game.

"We are definitely a better team than they are," Harvard forward Naomi Miller said, with more than a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"We dominated and we stepped forward, but we had a couple of moments of not putting pressure on people when we had to," explained head coach Tim Wheaton.

True enough, but there were many more moments when UMass failed to put pressure on Harvard.

In the 40th minute, junior Keren Gudeman sent a rocket to the lower left corner of the goal which UMass keeper Danielle Dion just managed to turn aside.

Early in the second half, a poor clearance off a free kick allowed freshman midfielder Ashley Berman to get off a hard shot that sailed out of Dion's reach but just above the crossbar.

A few minutes later, midfield dynamo Emily Stauffer fanned on a low cross right in front of the goal, and soon after, Miller's low shot was blocked by Dion and her rebound was just deflected away from an open net by a UMass player. In the 68th minute, Stauffer missed soccer's equivalent of a layup as she raced clear only to yank the ball wide of the goal.

Just 11 minutes later, Stauffer nearly found the net and was only denied when Dion dove and knocked the ball away.

The list goes on...if the Crimson had been in Las Vegas, it would have been flat broke long before the end of regulation time.

"A lot of their chances could have gone either way," admitted UMass defender Erica Iverson, who scored the equalizer in the 70th minute and took the corner which ultimately resulted in the deciding own goal.

One time a failed Harvard chance actually did go the other way, according to Wheaton, but the referee did not agree.

In the 96th minute of play, well into the first overtime period, a shot by Stauffer struck the underside of the crossbar and hit the ground, but the referee ruled that it did not cross the goal line.

"Do the physics," Wheaton said. "You can't hit the bottom of the post like that and have it not go in.

"We were a little unlucky,"

More like extremely unlucky. Don't worry about it, Jessica Larson. You weren't the lone victim of yesterday's misfortune. The game should have been won long before you ever put your head against the ball. UMAss, 2-1 (3 O.T.) at Ohirl Field UMass  0  1  0  0  1  --  2 Harvard  1  0  0  0  0  --  1

Scoring

Har--Foster (Minkus, Stauffer), 42:24.

Mas--Iverson (Tokarchik), 70:10.

Mas--Own goal, 131:22.

Saves: Mas--Dion 20; Har--Burney 8.

Scoring

Har--Foster (Minkus, Stauffer), 42:24.

Mas--Iverson (Tokarchik), 70:10.

Mas--Own goal, 131:22.

Saves: Mas--Dion 20; Har--Burney 8.