Athlete of the Week: Anya Cowan `00

Brown needs a wanted poster with Anya Cowan's picture all over it, because she just stole sole-possession of the Ivy League title from the Bears.

In the most dramatic upset of the season, the Harvard field hockey team scored with 10 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Crimson (11-6, 4-3 Ivy) a 3-2 victory over No.15 Brown (13-3, 6-1 Ivy).

The Bears needed only a tie to win the Ivy championship outright, but with the loss, will have to share the honor with Princeton as co-champions.

However, the game wouldn't have even gone to overtime without the amazing acrobatic performance of tri-captain netminder Anya Cowan.

Out shot 23-4 by Brown, Cowan held the fort against a marauding Bears offense that never stopped coming.

Heading into Saturday's showdown, Brown boasted the most explosive offense in the league, out scoring its Ivy opponents 25-4 this season.

However, the Bears' hadn't seen the likes of Cowan all season, and after Saturday, they wish they hadn't.

Proving the age-old adage that good defense beats good offense, Cowan stepped up her game another notch in overtime, turning aside seven shots in the extra period.

Cowan came out of the net to challenge the Brown attackers throughout the game, mixing it up physically with one the biggest teams in the country to clear loose balls from in front of the goal.

Cowan's performance against Brown on Saturday was a fairy tale ending to an outstanding Ivy League career.

"I've played with Anya for three years," tri-captain Dominique Kalil said. "And this was the best I've ever seen her play. She knows how to keep her head when the game gets hot and did a great job."

A second team All-Ivy selection three times and the Crimson's starting goalie since her freshmen campaign, Cowan is one of only three seniors in the league to receive All-Ivy honors throughout her career.

Posting a league leading save percentage of .843 and winning Ivy League Player of Week honors in late September for her shutout performance against Yale and a narrow 2-1 loss to No. 1 Connecticut, Cowan seems a sure bet to win first team All-Ivy honors after her performance against Brown.

Saturday's match up was supposed to be a showdown between the top two goalies in the Ivy League.

But after stealing a perfect Ivy League season from the Bears and posting 18 saves while Brown netminder Annie Owens--the Ivy leader in goals against average--made no stops of her own, it's clear that Cowan's second to no one.