SEASON RECAP: Defense Not Enough to Salvage Frustrating Season

What a difference a year can make.

A year ago, the Harvard field hockey team had a winning record. A year ago, the team dominated its opponents, shutting them out four times on the season and scoring a total of 46 goals. A year ago, the Crimson held the Ivy League title.

But that was a year ago.

History had a very selective memory in the 2005 season, forgetting Harvard’s past successes. The Crimson was shut out in five of its 17 games and scored a mere 19 points on the season. Four contests went to at least one overtime, including a three-overtime match-up versus Northeastern, but they all resulted in losses.

However, history recalled with lucid remembrance the past 11 years of Princeton dominance that had led to 11 consecutive Harvard defeats—now an even 12.

The disheartening 2-1 loss to the Tigers was the Crimson’s ninth game decided by one point.

“The Princeton game was my first start...and I think I ended up having a great first game in goal,” sophomore goalie Siobhan Connolly said.

A replacement for injured freshman starter Kelly Knoche, Connolly denied eight Tiger shots and held a 1-0 lead at halftime, courtesy of senior midfielder and captain Jen McDavitt. But Princeton scored twice in the second frame to steal the game from the Crimson.

Harvard then went on to close out its season with three more one-point contests, including a 2-1 loss to Boston University and a defeat by the same score to Ivy League opponent Dartmouth.

The Crimson was able to shake a ten-game losing streak with its season-ending victory versus Columbia. Connolly, selected as Harvard’s Most Improved Player, earned her first collegiate win. The Lions’ lone shot on target found its way into the net, but the Crimson took advantage of the overall inaccuracy of the Columbia offense.

“It’s about putting it all out there in every effort,” McDavitt said. “I think when it’s your senior year, it hits home—it’s your last chance.”

Harvard’s win over Columbia gave the team a 6-11 final record, including 2-5 in Ivy play. With luck, history will turn a blind eye to the Crimson’s uncharacteristically mediocre season.

­—Staff writer Courtney M. Petrouski can be reached at petrousk@fas.harvard.edu.