Underclassman Duo Propels Field Hockey to 1-0 Road Win at No. 14 BU

UPDATED: September 30, 2016, at 9:14 p.m.

Back at .500 after an impressive weekend sweep at home against Yale and No. 19 Maine, the Harvard field hockey team traveled a little further down the river Thursday night looking for another victory over a ranked opponent.

And for the second contest in a row, the Crimson (5-4, 1-0 Ivy) hit its target, squeezing out a 1-0 victory over No. 14 Boston University (7-3, 1-1 Patriot League) at New Balance Field.

Freshman midfielder Bente van Vlijmen continued her torrid breakout of a rookie season, scoring the game’s only goal in the 52nd minute. The goal marks the fourth in three games for last week’s Ivy League Rookie of the Week, who is quickly becoming an integral part of a high flying Harvard offense that includes the likes of Marissa Balleza and freshman forward Maddie Earle.

“Bente has an unbelievable shot, and she was able to capitalize on one of the opportunities we had,” Harvard coach Tjerk van Herwaarden said. “It’s something we spend a lot of time on, and I’m glad it turned out to be effective today.”

The goal came off a penalty corner served in by senior defender Kyla Cordrey. The ball was then laid on a tee by sophomore midfielder Emily Duarte for van Vlijmen. The hard blast gave no chance for a save.

“[Penalty corners] are kind of my specialty,” van Vlijmen said. “I have a pretty hard hit so that always goes pretty well.”

Originally from the Netherlands, van Vlijmen has an aggressive nature that shows on the field and one that has helped lead her to success.

“The transition was really big because European hockey is really different from U.S. hockey,” van Vlijmen said. “But I love the energy—people are really physical. Our energy is so great. You represent your own college, which I’m really proud of. I’m having so much fun.”

Just a few minutes before, junior midfielder Hannah Wellington narrowly missed scoring when her shot went wide. Chances, however, were few and far between. More than anything, the game was a war of attrition with two strong defenses clashing.

“We knew ahead of time that we would have to work really, really hard to compete with a team like Boston University,” van Herwaarden said. “We had some opportunities and during the entire 70 minutes our defense stepped up, our press worked really well, and the work everybody put in paid off.”

The first half was a wash, with strong defenses on both sides canceling attacks to set the stage for a dramatic second half.

Likewise, sophomore goalie Libby Manela continued her shutdown keeping with her second clean sheet in three games—her first three collegiate starts. The defense in front of her allowed just three shots to go on goal, and the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week saved them all. Manela has allowed just one goal in her three starts.

“Libby has earned her props the last three games now, and she has been doing very well in goal,” van Herwaarden said.

Boston University has now dropped third consecutive games after jumping out to a 7-0 start and climbing as high as No. 9 in the national rankings. Harvard, on the other hand, has been moving in the other direction, now winners of three straight before returning to Ivy League play this Sunday against Penn.

“We just beat two ranked, which is very new for us,” van Herwaarden said. “Of course, this is a boost in confidence and energy so we are going to use that our next two days while we prepare for Penn. Penn has been a very tough opponent in the Ivy League over the last couple of years.”

Part of the Crimson’s progression can be attributed to playing against harder opponents, van Herwaarden says, including ones that are nationally ranked. The Crimson’s slow start has been long forgotten, and the future appears bright.

“I think that it has been paying off really well,” van Herwaarden said. “We want to compete for a championship in the Ivy League, and we need to measure ourselves against the top 15 teams in the nation.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following corrections:

CORRECTIONS: September 30

An earlier version of this article and an earlier version of this photo caption incorrectly stated that goalie Libby Manela is a freshman. In fact, she is a sophomore.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that senior forward Marissa Balleza is a captain.