Top-Ranked Huskies Nip Upstart Stickwomen, 2-0

Today's thrilling seven-hour jaunt to Cornell should be a tad easier for the Harvard field hockey squad.

At least the frustrating two-hour trip to the University of Connecticut is over.

And although yesterday's 2-0 loss at the hands of the Huskies is little consolation, understand that after UConn, even Cornell looks good.

For in the Huskies (now 9-0-1), the Crimson tangled with the nation's top-ranked squad, one that in the last two years has lost only one regular season game. In field hockey, they come to better than the University of Connecticut.

Which all means that this Harvard squad is something to be reckoned with. Despite the loss, the Crimson yesterday showed that it is capable of playing with the nation's best--a fact that sits will as the squad begins its run for its first Ivy title.

"We really gave them a good game," Harvard Assistant Coach Brooke Watson said. "Harvard has something to be proud of."

That the Cantabs allowed only two goals yesterday--one in the game's final few minutes--bodes extremely well, considering the Huskies have averaged almost four goals a game so far this year. And though UConn stymied the Crimson offense, the visitors showed signs that it should be at full force for tomorrow's engagement in Ithaca.

With yesterday's loss, the Crimson will take a 3-4 record into the Ivy showdown. More importantly, however, the stickwoman will put their 1-0 league mark on the line against the Big Red (3-5 overall and 0-3 in league play).

And had it not been for the aggressive play of UConn sophomore Laurie Decker yesterday, the Huskies might have succumbed to in the upset-minded Crimson. But Decker finally found the back of the Harvard twines at the 20:33 mark, when she best the Crimson defense and deked a shot past Harvard netminder Juliet Lamont.

The game's next 30 minutes turned into a defensive struggle, through it was the Crimson that found itself on the defensive for most of that time. Only some stickwork enabled the Crimson to keep the Huskies from running up the score.

Decker netted the game's only other goal, when with just over three minutes remaining, she caught the visitors off guard and unable to clear the ball.

THE NOTEBOOK: For the record. UConn outshot Harvard by a whopping 17-5... Lamont finished the game with six goals... Huskie goalie Terrie Kix stopped four balls... After Saturday's trip to Cornell, the squad takes the week off before entertaining Dartmouth.