Mann, Defense Lead Women's Soccer in Shutout

The Crimson always seems to save its best for last.

After a shaky start in the first half, Harvard ratcheted up its intensity in the second as it fought off the Big Red on Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y. Senior co-captain Megan Merritt scored her second goal of the season, leading Harvard (7-3-1. 1-1-0 Ivy) to a 1-0 victory against Cornell, the team’s first Ivy triumph of year.

“In the first half we didn’t come out as strong and were a bit flat-footed,” freshman midfielder Kerry Kartsonis said. “But at halftime we pulled it together and after [Merritt’s] goal early in the second half, kept the pressure on.”

Merritt found the net in the 59th minute of the contest, capitalizing on Harvard’s stellar possession time throughout the second half. Kartsonis, who provided the game-winning goal against Fairfield last Tuesday, recorded her second assist of the season on the play.

“When Kerry passed to me I got it in right past the goalkeeper, in the low right corner,” Merritt said.

Despite a slow beginning, the Crimson offense made the Big Red’s freshman goalkeeper Jodi Palmer work, attempting six shots in the first 15 minutes of play and pushing Palmer to make three saves.

Freshman standouts Gina Wideroff and Katherine Sheeleigh kept the shots coming consistently throughout the match, as Palmer made a total of six saves on her home field. Collectively, Harvard outshot Cornell, 21-13.

About halfway through the season, the Big Red’s loss brings its record to 4-7-0 and 0-2-0 in the Ancient Eight. Last year, the Crimson hosted Cornell on Ohiri Field and came away with a 2-0 win.

“We have to respect every opponent,” Wideroff said. “Looking at the past few years, [Cornell] didn’t seem that strong, but we still respected them and knew we would have to bring our best game. For every Ivy League game there is that emotional aspect—we know we have to win.”

Palmer was not alone with her stellar play in goal. Harvard sophomore keeper Lauren Mann had four saves in her seventh shutout of the season. Mann made the final save against Big Red freshman defender Cristina Law in the 86th minute to secure the Harvard victory.

With her seventh shutout of the season, Mann is but four shutouts shy of tying the Harvard women’s single-season shutout record currently held by assistant coach Katie Shields ’05. Six of the Crimson’s seven victories have come by a 1-0 count.

“Cornell pushed everything forward and threw at us what they had, but our back forward continues to make my life easy,” Mann said. “[It] put on the pressure and I knew I had to just hang on.”

Harvard’s defense also played above par, blocking five Cornell shots. The squad’s starting defenders—junior co-captain Nicole Rhodes and sophomores Lizzy Nichols, Kelly Okuji, and Devon Sherman—continue to be difference-makers in the Crimson’s low-scoring games.

“Our mentality is very different this year,” Merritt said. “We’ll go over the other team briefly before a game, but we focus more on what we need to do to be able to play good soccer and what it will take for us to win.”