Laxwomen Beat Huskies, 13-2, Look to Easterns

Led by another six-goal performance by Francesca Den Hartog, the women's lacrosse team overcame a slow start to drub visiting Northeastern 12-2 and notch its fourteenth win without a setback.

Den Hartog, who copped a double hat trick last Saturday against Cornell, raised her goal production to 58 in 14 games, a little more than four each game.

The laxwomen looked sluggish from the outset, forcing passes and not using the full length of the field against the tight Husky zone defense. But the dazzling Den Hartog eventually took things into her own hands at 22:15 with a blistering "now-you-see-it-now-you're down-1-0" shot over the Northeastern goalie, Phyllis Kossak's, left shoulder.

Den Hartog's heroics failed to spark the Harvard offense, though, and both teams stayed scoreless for the next 10 minutes.

"We just didn't pass and catch well in the first half," Coach Carole Kleinfelder said after the game. "There was a real lack of intensity."

Junior Annie MacMillan gave the Crimson some breathing room at 12:23, picking up an errant pass intended for Maureen Finn and beating Kossak in the lower left corner.

Fabulous Fran brought the laxwomen to a 4-0 lead with tallies at 5:39 and 3:42 off passes from Finn (the Den Hartog to Finn combination clicked four times on the day), and the Crimson went into the second half with a four-goal advantage that Northeastern never threatened.

Tough D

A strong, tenacious performance from Charlotte Worsley, Laurie Gregg and the gang made up for the first half's offensive shortcomings, limiting the Huskies to only five shots in the first half.

"We were really concentrating," said goalkeeper Worsley. "Northeastern was a very quick and physical team, but our D was really good on the stick checks."

Go East Laxwomen

Defense will be the key this weekend as the Crimson travel to Kingston R.I., to vie for the EAIAW championship. Although originally scheduled to meet the University of New Hampshire, Harvard will face host University of Rhode Island in Friday morning's semifinals.

URI boasts the exact zone defense that Northeastern slowed the Crimson within the first half yesterday, and the Rams will be looking to knock off the number three ranked team in the nation.