Second Half Sinks UNH As Laxwomen Roll, 9-2

Sparked by Ann Velie's tie-breaking goal, the Harvard women's lacrosse team yesterday exploded with seven goals in the second half to defeat a scrappy University of New Hampshire team, 9-2, at Soldiers Field, and register its ninth victory of the season without a defeat.

Velie's tally, which came with only 1:06 gone in the second stanza, broke a 2-2 tie, and gave the laxwomen all the goals they would eventually need.

While the Crimson dominated the scoring in the second half, the team's performance in the first 25 minutes of the game left much to be desired.

"They came to play and we were a little lazy," said coach Carole Kleinfelder.

UNH demonstrated that it meant business from the start, drawing first blood only nine seconds into the game. Gaby Haroules took a Carla Hesler pass in front of the goal and then beat Crimson keeper Charlotte Worsley with a blistering shot into the upper left corner of the net.

Undaunted, Kerry Bryan then responded to Haroules' tally with one of her own just fifteen ticks later to even things at one.

Hesler made it 2-1 UNH with an unassisted goal at 21:39 as Harvard proceeded to keep the ball in the UNH end for most of the next 20 minutes. The Crimson came up empty handed, however, plagued by sloppy passing and a stellar performance by Wildcat keeper Debra Cram, who stopped 19 shots in the first half alone.

Francesca Den Hartog finally beat Cram at 43:45 withan unassisted score over the freshman goalie's left shoulder, tying the score at 2-2.

After the intermission, Velie, who usually is found blocking shots for Crimson goalie Charlotte Worsley, took things into her own hands. The senior co-captain intercepted a UNH pass and raced down three-quarters of the field before sending a shot past Cram's left side.

"Carole told us to go one-on-one more," said the right-wing defender. "I was still looking to pass if I drew (a defender), but I didn't, so I went one-on-one."

Den Hartog and the Crimson defense took it from there. The sophomore first home notched three unanswered goals before the rest of the attack took over, and the defense stopped the Wildcats in their tracks.

Jeanne Piersak and Sarah Sewall, led the Crimson D, who throttled the UNH attack at midfield, allowing only seven shots in the second half.

"They like to use long connecting passes," said Piersak. "You can always anticipate a long pass, and we just didn't let them get the ball."

UMASS Saturday

The defense's play is heartening because it will surely be tested this Saturday when the laxwomen face the University of Massachusetts at Amherst on the Minutemen's home turf.

Kleinfelder said the game with UMass, the number-sixth-ranked team in the nation, should be one of the best games of the year. "The timing is really good for the game," she said. "Everybody will have played a lot of games. Both teams will be ready."