Early Goal Provides Final Margin in 1-0 Defeat to Boston College

For 69 minutes of play, Harvard field hockey outshot, outran, and statistically outperformed the 11th-ranked Boston College squad. But ultimately it was the play of the first minute that determined the outcome of the match.

The Eagles captured a 1-0 victory over the Crimson with a goal 39 seconds into the game, marking Harvard’s third consecutive 1-0 defeat.

“Games like this are good for showing us how strong the team actually is,” co-captain Caitlin Rea said. “It shows us that attitude [plays] such an influence on the game.”

In the last minute of the game, Harvard (8-8, 2-3 Ivy) had a chance to provide a fitting response to Boston College’s (13-5) early goal.

After a flubbed pass from Eagles goalkeeper Leah Settipane, senior Harvard forward Noel Painter briefly found herself with a one-on-one opportunity. But Settipane blocked both Painter’s shot and junior Elizabeth Jacobson’s was not able to score on the follow up to preserve the victory.

The Crimson offense pelted the Boston College defense with shots throughout the game, tallying five shots in the first half and six in the second. Over the entire 70 minutes, the Eagles recorded only four.

“[We focused on] staying spread out and passing—getting the ball and passing it,” Painter said. “[BC has] really good defense and ball control, so we just needed to pass around them.”

Boston College scored on its first possession of the game. After starting with the ball, Harvard gave away possession to Eagles midfielder Emily McCoy, who found teammate Kelcie Hromisin at the top of the box.

“[The goal] gave us the energy to push forward,” Rea said. “I think BC expected us to be weak, and that goal…gave us the ammunition to show that we weren’t.”

After conceding the early score, Harvard responded with attacking intensity. A penalty corner in the third minute fell to sophomore forward Marissa Balleza, who fired an attempt on frame.

Eight minutes later, it was Balleza again who forced Settipane into an acrobatic save with a hard shot on the ground.

“After the first [40] seconds, they were on their heels for the first half and the rest of the second half,” senior forward Noel Painter said. “They weren’t expecting us to come out this hard...I think we played a good game overall.”

The Crimson found success on its counterattack throughout the match. Even when Harvard didn’t get a shot off, the team sprung vertical attacks that caused the Eagles defense to backpedal.

“We’ve been working the whole season on making the field big, just creating space to play the game,” Harvard coach Tjerk van Herwaarden said. “I think that key worked really well.”

The Crimson were once again aggressive on offense in the second half. Three minutes in, senior forward Catriona McDonald ran on goal and pelted a shot on target. However, once again Settipane was up to the task, parrying the shot away.

Balleza alone outshot the Eagles. She led Harvard with five shots, three of which found the target. In comparison, Boston College managed to produce two shots on goal.

Although the Eagles had scored 18 goals over the past four games, the Crimson limited the visitors’ opportunities after the defense’s initial breakdown.

“We realized that we [needed] to step up on our marks more,” Rea said, referring to the early goal. “We minimized mistakes after that because we were pretty angry about it. Someone scoring an easy goal on you gives you ammunition to step up in front of your mark and keep your control.”

In contrast to Harvard’s recent losses, Boston College came into the match with a four-game winning streak that included wins over nationally-ranked Louisville, California, and Virginia. The Eagles were the first top-25 opponent that the Crimson played this season.

“We played very well,” van Herwaarden said. “We really competed. We played our game of hockey, and I was very happy to see how we were able to compete with a top team in the nation at the moment.”