Field Hockey Looks to Stay Perfect in Ivy, Takes on Cornell

The Harvard field hockey team is looking to remain atop the standings as it puts its perfect Ivy League record on the line against Cornell (5-3, 2-1 Ivy) tomorrow in Ithaca, N.Y.

No.18 Harvard (7-2, 3-0 Ivy) is coming off a narrow, 1-0 victory over Quinnipiac on Wednesday and should have another difficult contest tomorrow.

Since its dramatic 2-1 victory over Penn in overtime on Sept. 26, Cornell has been red hot, rattling off three straight wins.

"There's no way we're going into Saturday's game with a mindset that it's going to be easy," junior back Liz Sarles said. "If we do that, they're going to beat us."

The Big Red has proven especially tough in tight matches, posting a 4-1 record this season in one-goal contests.

Cornell's resilience could pose a problem for a Crimson squad that nearly let the game against Quinnipiac slip through its hands. Despite out shooting the Braves 17-4, and dominating play throughout most of the game, Harvard capitalized only once.

"I think one of the problems against Quinnipiac was that we were too timid in front of the net," Sarles said. "We weren't happy with our play, and we need to be more aggressive in front of the net if we're going to beat Cornell."

The Cornell offense is spearheaded by its forward trio of seniors Kelly Dean, Sarah Walton, and Kelley Boutin They have scored 14 of the Big Red's 18 goals this season.

Boutin is second in the league in scoring with 19 points on nine goals and an assist and was named Ivy League player of the week for her performance last Saturday in Cornell's 4-3 OT win over Columbia.

However, Harvard's explosive offense may be too much for Cornell's young sophomore goalie Maureen Sullivan, whose 2.38 GAA is the second worst among starters in the Ivy.

The Harvard offense will be lead by tri-captain Dominique Kalil. Kalil leads the Crimson in scoring with six goals and six assists. Her 18 points ranks fourth in Ivy League scoring.

Leading the charge alongside Kalil will be junior forward Kate Nagle, who has six goals and an assist for a total of 13 points. Nagle has been the team's hottest scorer recently, posting goals in six consecutive games prior to Wednesday's match against Quinnipiac.

The midfield will be lead by junior Maisa Badawy. Badawy has a goal and five assists so far this season, already surpassing her total from last season. Her stellar play has been pivotal to the Crimson's swift transition game.

Harvard's offense, which leads the league with 29 goals, is backed by an equally impressive defense, led by tri-captain Katie Schoolwerth.

Schoolwerth is joined in the backfield by sophomore Katie Turck, who scored her first goal last Saturday, and freshman Katie Scott. The defense has allowed only 13 goals in nine games.

In goal, tri-captain Anya Cowan has been outstanding. Cowan's 1.76 GAA is fourth best in the Ivy League. She has been a workhorse in goal for the Crimson, and leads the league in minutes played.

Harvard learned Wednesday that it can give Cowan a rest. Junior backup Jen Crusius, subbing in for Cowan against Quinnipiac, posted a shutout in her first career start.

Saturday's game against Cornell is key for the Crimson's Ivy title chances. Harvard is in a three-way for first place with Princeton and Brown, and tomorrow's game is the team's last Ivy contest until October 23rd when it hosts Princeton.

"Princeton's lost a lot of people since last year and we've gotten a lot better," Sarles said. "The championship's going to come down to who plays harder and who wants it more, and we want to be the first team to beat Princeton."

One way or another, the three-way deadlock will be broken tomorrow. All eyes will be on the showdown in Providence as No.16 Princeton takes the field against No.19 Brown.

Harvard hopes to join the winner on top.