Field Hockey Shuts Out Qunnipiac

The Harvard field hockey team won its second straight yesterday at Jordan Field, beating Quinnipiac 1-0 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Junior back Liz Sarles scored the game's only goal with 3:59 left in the first half and junior goalkeeper Jen Crusius earned a shutout, making three saves in her first career start as the No. 18 Crimson (7-2, 3-0 Ivy) snapped the Braves' three-game winning streak.

Though the final score was close, Harvard dominated most aspects of the game. The Crimson kept the ball in the Quinnipiac (5-6) end for most of the game, and outshot the Braves by a 17-4 margin. However, the stellar play of Braves goalkeeper Sarah Mathers, who made 13 saves, kept the game close.

Harvard, unable to convert on several critical scoring chances throughout the game, had to fight off a desperate rally by Quinnipiac in the game's final minutes, including a penalty corner with no time on the clock, to preserve the win.

In the early moments of the game, Quinnipiac had the better scoring chances. Braves midfielder Heather Cady had a break early in the contest, setting up the first penalty corner of the game, but junior forward Kate Nagle broke up the play.

Minutes later, Quinnipiac had one of its best scoring chances of the game when Harvard was unable to clear and the Braves crowded the net. It looked as if Quinnipiac had a chance with Crusius drawn way out of the net, but tri-captain Katie Schoolwerth was able to clear the ball out of harm's way.

From then on, the first half was dominated by the Crimson. Led by Nagle, tri-captain Dominique Kalil, and freshman midfielder Kalen Ingram, Harvard had a number of scoring opportunities. The Crimson obtained one penalty corner after another, but Mathers repeatedly kept the Harvard players from scoring.

"[Mathers] was good," Harvard Coach Sue Caples said. "But we didn't help ourselves by trying to shoot through her."

The Crimson finally broke through with just under four minutes left in the first half. Mathers made the initial save off of a penalty corner, but Harvard kept the ball close to the goal, where Sarles emerged from the mob in front.

"[Junior midfielder] Maisa [Badawy] redirected it, and I sent it back in," Sarles said. "I thought one of the forwards would get it. But it went in [the net]."

Sarles' goal put the Crimson up 1-0 at the break. In the second half, Harvard shut down the Quinnipiac offense for the first thirty minutes. The Braves did not get within 20 yards of Crusius. However, the Crimson was unable to extend its lead.

"We had lots of opportunities we could have capitalized on," Nagle said.

For much of the latter part of the second half, neither team had a decent scoring chance. Then in the final minutes, after Harvard's 11th and final penalty corner of the day, Quinnipiac went on the attack. The Harvard defense, untested for most of the day, struggled to hold on.

"It was difficult to get organized," Crusius said. "It's hard as a team defensively to keep your head in the game when you've been out of it until the last six minutes."

The solid play of sophomore back Sarah Luskin did much to stop the Quinnipiac attack, but the Braves pressed forward. The Crimson managed to block one shot after another. In the last minute, Quinnipiac had two penalty corners, including one with no time on the clock.

On the last corner, the Braves tested the Crimson's patience, passing the ball between four people, before finally taking a shot. Crusius made the clutch play, stopping the shot and securing the loose ball in front to preserve the 1-0 victory for the Crimson.

"It's the mental side of the game," Caples said. "[Field hockey] is a game where you have to stay alert for 70 minutes and keep your head in the present. You can be dominant, but the other team can make one run, and take the game away from you."

Harvard, however, was able to maintain its focus in stopping the final Quinnipiac run, and that was crucial.

"We played with poise and composure, and that's good," Caples said.

Harvard travels to Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday, resuming its Ivy schedule against Cornell. The Big Red (5-3, 2-1) notched its third straight win Tuesday, beating Albany 2-1.

Harvard is tied with five-time defending champion Princeton for first place in the league at 3-0.