Soaring Stickwomen Dump Eagles, 3-1

The Harvard field hockey team extended its winning streak to four with a well-played, 3-1 win over Boston College, under the lights at the Eagles' astroturf-covered Alumni Field last night.

The Crimson, now 5-2, once again showed coordinated team play as it downed the hapless Eagles, who sunk to 1-8-1. Aided by the artificial surface, the swift Crimson forward line exerted constant pressure on the Eagle net, and forced play into the B.C. end.

The scoring came form familiar faces. Co-captain Chris Sailer notched her third goal of the season off a Sue Field penalty corner at 22:50 of the first half, then added her fourth on another penalty corner with 1:50 remaining in the game.

In between, Field netted her fourth goal with 18:00 remaining in the first half.

"I go after garbage goals," Field said with a laugh, but the Eagle defense wasn't laughing. Field and Kate Martin executed the boom and run offense to perfection, and time and again the junior redhead followed her shots to the net.

Sailer's specialty, on the other hand, is the penalty corner. She has notched all of her goals this season from penalty corner situations.

Sailer almost added another goal with 6:20 remaining in the game when she attempted a penalty stroke--field hockey's equivalent of ice hockey's penalty shot. The co-captain missed, however, when she slapped a rushed shot just wide of the B.C. net.

"The referee asked if I was ready and I told her no, but she blew the whistle anyway. I should have backed off, but I got flustered and shot," Sailer said.

Luckily, the Crimson didn't need the goal, as it completely dominated except for Kathy Tomlinson's breakaway goal at 20:40 of the second half.

The Crimson plays its most important game to date Saturday when they face Dartmouth. The Big Green is ranked in the top 20 nationally.

"Dartmouth is the team we'd really like to beat." Field said, and coach Edie MacAusland thinks Field may get her wish.

"The Dartmouth game? I'd put my money on my team," MacAusland said.