Field Hockey Falls, 2-1, to Sacred Heart in 2-OT

Despite a stalwart defensive effort for much of the game, the Harvard field hockey team ultimately succumbed to constant pressure from Sacred Heart, falling, 2-1, in double-overtime to the Pioneers on Monday at Jordan Field.

Filling in for co-captain Cynthia Tassopoulos, junior goalie Jenn Hatfield made 15 saves, including seven in the first overtime period, but she could not keep out the final shot of the game, a pinpoint effort into the bottom right corner converted by Sacred Heart’s Liz Bergman off of a penalty corner.

“They were looking to attack the entire game, and our defense was very aware,” Hatfield said. “It speaks to the heart of our team that we could make such great recoveries even when we were dead tired in overtime.”

The Pioneers’ attacking initiative was evident in their 30-8 advantage in shots and 15-8 edge in penalty corners. Yet it looked as if the Crimson’s staunch defending, paired with an early second-half goal from junior back Caroline McNeil, would be enough to sneak out a victory.

The teams played to a scoreless stalemate in the first half, though Sacred Heart outshot Harvard, 20-6, and possessed the ball for large chunks of time on the attack.

But the Crimson opened the scoring six minutes into the second half after a positive stretch of offensive play. Sophomore Sydney Jenkins, whose speed bothered the Pioneers’ defenders on a number of occasions, received the ball after making a run down the left flank and darted into the circle between two defenders before finally winning a penalty corner. On the ensuing corner, junior Caitlin Rea dropped a nifty back pass to a wide open McNeill, who slapped the ball past Sacred Heart goalkeeper Mary Altepeter for a 1-0 lead.

But with five minutes remaining, the Pioneers’ sustained offensive effort finally paid off. Sacred Heart’s Lindsay Kasten found an empty pocket of space in the middle of the Harvard circle, and though Hatfield saved her initial effort, Kasten chipped her own rebound past the Crimson goalie to even the score and force the extra session.

In the first overtime, the Pioneers were decidedly the more attacking team, but Hatfield was again ready, at one point recording saves on three consecutive penalty corners. Harvard had two strong goal-scoring opportunities of its own; twice, the Crimson had a two-on-one opportunity on the attack, but the first was cancelled out by a sliding save from Altepeter, and the second was erased by a mishandled pass.

“Mainly, our attacking aim is to do ‘two v. ones’ up the pitch and kind of eliminate their defenders one by one, and we’ve got some amazing speed with Sydney, Noel [Painter], and Cat [McDonald] all pushing forward,” Rea said. “I think by overtime, our legs were getting a bit tired, but we kept pushing.”

The second overtime saw only one shot from both teams—Bergman’s winning effort with 1:17 remaining.

“We kept on pushing right to the end; we were really after that goal at the very end, and we put it all out there on the pitch,” Rea said. “At the end, it’s kind of sad when we lose, but we realized we were still getting shots off, and we weren’t letting them walk all over us.”

Hatfield’s start in goal in place of Tassopoulos, a three-year starter and two-time All-Ivy selection, came as something of a surprise, but coach Tjerk van Herwaarden made it clear that the move was simply designed to get the most out of both players.

“Both goalkeepers have done tremendous work the entire preseason,” van Herwaarden said. “Jenn Hatfield has worked extremely hard in the preseason. I’m a firm believer that goalkeepers can push each other, so this is not a decision based on how Cynthia played, because she played a very good game on Saturday.”

Van Herwaarden said that the rotation of the two will not continue the whole season, and he will “make a final decision at some point” as to who will start in goal moving forward.

More pressing for Harvard is its difficulty putting the ball in the back of the net. In nearly 170 minutes of play this year, the Crimson has managed only two goals and, according to van Herwaarden, has lacked the finishing touch in front of goal, something that must be remedied if Harvard is to have success in the Ivy season.

“That’s where we definitely have to improve,” van Herwaarden said. “We have a sustained buildup that works from the 25 to the circle, and getting more effective in the circle is our main focus in the next couple of weeks.”