Huskies Blank Harvard at Home

With an aggressive start and more than two hundred rabid fans in attendance, the No. 17 Crimson field hockey team (6-4, 2-0 Ivy) attempted to put Northeastern (10-2) in the doghouse. The No. 10 Huskies, however, riding high on a two-game win streak during which they scored 12 goals, refused to be leashed, shutting out Harvard 3-0.

With this loss, the Crimson’s fourth of the season, Harvard’s record against ranked opponents drops to 0-4.

Less than a minute into the second half, Northeastern capitalized on a corner when forward Mari Creatini scored the game’s first goal.

But the Crimson could not quell the Husky offense, as Northeastern went on to score twice more and rack up its third straight win against Harvard in as many seasons.

The game opened with fast-paced competition, and neither offense able to penetrate the other team’s 40-yard line.

Following more than ten minutes of intense back-and-forth play, the Huskies were awarded the game’s first corner. In an effort to prevent a scoring opportunity, senior Crimson goaltender Aliaa Remtilla dropped on a shot but overstayed her welcome, leading to a penalty stroke for the Huskies.

The stroke proved harmless, however, as Ashley Webber, Northeastern’s freshman forward, rolled a shot wide of the net.

The Huskies went on to earn five additional corners in the first half, while Harvard attained a mere one, its only of the game.

“We were tentative in the first half,” veteran head coach Sue Caples said. “We sat around and reacted...We have to reflect a little bit on what happened.”

Not even the playing of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” during halftime proved to be enough to deter Northeastern. The squad peppered Remtilla with sixteen total shots. The Crimson defense allowed a key penalty corner, and, after making an initial save, Remtilla could not stop the consequent Creatini tally at 36:18, giving the Huskies a lead that they would refuse to relinquish for the rest of the game.

“We didn’t deserve to win,” Coach Caples reflected. “After a game like this, you’ve got to find out what’s important and how to put the pieces back together. We have to go back to basics. When we can do the basics at a higher level, we can compete with teams like Northeastern.”

After a missed lunge by the Harvard defense, the Huskies’ back Alli Bolster took it to the net, scoring an unassisted goal at 40:55. Remtilla responded with a series of tactful stops but could not hold on when, on another corner, Liane Dixon scored Northeastern’s third and final goal.

“I think that the important thing for us to do is to try to think back on tonight and really focus on what we could’ve done differently,” captain midfielder Kate Gannon said. “We need to take time and find out what we were missing tonight. We are a resilient team.”

While it was a disheartening game for the Crimson, the outcome did not affect the team’s Ivy League-leading 2-0 record.

Harvard will return to Ancient Eight play against Cornell at Jordan Field this Saturday at noon.