VanderMeulen Delivers in Clutch

After surrendering six unanswered goals to New Hampshire, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team was in danger of having its record drop below .500.

But that’s when sophomore Jennifer VanderMeulen did what she does best, scoring the tying and go-ahead goal to lead the team to victory.

“Being down one and being tied, I knew that someone had to step up and put some shots away because we were having some troubles with their goalie,” said VanderMeulen after the contest.

Coming out of the half down one to the Wildcats, VanderMeulen was fouled going to goal and awarded a free-position shot. The attacker fired the attempt past the New Hampshire goalkeeper to even the score at six. Fifteen minutes later. VanderMeulen found herself with another free-position opportunity. And this time, the sophomore bounced it into the back of the net for the winning goal.

Two days later, Harvard was defeated by Virginia on Sunday afternoon, but VanderMeulen continued to score in bunches, finishing with five goals in the 19-18 loss.

When the Crimson was fighting back from a 10-5 deficit, VanderMeulen scored two quick goals to bring the Crimson within three just minutes into the second half. The sophomore also finished second on the team with two draw controls.

“This past weekend our team showed a lot of fight,” VanderMeulen said. “Against New Hampshire, being down 6-0, I think most teams, or even our team last year, might have given up. We didn’t let down, and we knew that we could dig ourselves out of it. Same thing against Virginia, They came out very strong, and we weren’t really ready, and yet we were able to close the gap and almost knock them off.”

VanderMeulen currently leads the team with 25 goals this season, netting a combined eight this past weekend.

The sophomore also sits atop the Ancient Eight in scoring, averaging 3.12 goals per game. But this weekend VanderMeulen took her scoring to a new level.

“Jenn really stepped it up this weekend,” junior co-captain Melanie Baskind said. “She’s been a consistent scorer since last year, but we were counting on her more than ever these past couple of games.”

On Friday, VanderMeulen led the scoring with a hat trick including the winning goal with 10:31 left to play in the game.

She was successful on two of three free-position shots and three of her total five shots.

She also led the team with three ground balls.

“Jenn is always aggressive going to goal, and that really helped in our game against New Hampshire,” sophomore Danielle Tetreault said, “She scored that buzzer beater at the end of the first half to make it 6-5 and that gave us momentum going into halftime.”

The momentum carried throughout the second half, as Harvard continued to tally scores and prevent New Hampshire from getting on the board.

“Jenn always steps up.” Tetreault said. “This weekend, though, she stepped up when we really needed it.  We had quite a few injuries this weekend and not all of our starters were out there but Jenn really stepped up and led the team.”

Harvard’s opponents are certainly aware of VanderMeulen’s offensive talent.  Last year, the attacker earned the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award and led both the Crimson and the Ivy League in goals and points with 56 and 64, respectively.

But her past success has brought VanderMeulen even more attention as a sophomore.

“It’s difficult returning as the Rookie of the Year because you’re constantly grabbing the other team’s best defenders and getting double-teamed,” said Baskind, who earned the 2009 Ivy League Rookie of the Year award in women’s soccer. “Jenn has handled it very well and has just continued to get better.”

For most players, increased defensive pressure might hinder their goal-scoring ability, but VanderMeulen has embraced the challenge.

“Usually when teams man mark me, it makes me work harder, and I kind of see it as a challenge,” VanderMeulen said. “I try not to use the face guard as a crutch, but I see it more as a competition.”

The way VanderMeulen has overcome the added defense attention has impressed her teammates, who have grown to look to the sophomore in pressure situations.

“She’s doing a lot more than just scoring; she’s taking draws and is a key part of our transition defense as well,” Baskind said. “She’s becoming a real leader out there.”