O'Neill Saves the Day As Stickwomen Triumph

PROVIDENCE--To say that the Harvard field hockey team needed a confidence builder after Saturday's 7-0 shellacking at the hands of Northwestern would be somewhat of an understatement.

The stickwomen needed a confidence builder, a win, a goal, and a whole lot of help.

Well, a whole lot of help came awful quickly yesterday, and it came in the name of Ellen O'Neill. Just two days after the Crimson had suffered its worst defeat in three years, O'Neill led the squad to a nail-biting 2-1 win over Providence College in Providence.

And while the squad still showed signs that it has a long way to go if it is to match last year's winning ways, it also showed that it's probably not as bad as those who watched Saturday's season-opening disaster would believe.

"After Saturday, we needed a confidence builder," O'Neill said yesterday. "We needed to know that we have the ability to score and to win. Even a tie would have been demoralizing here."

But it took the gallant efforts of O'Neill to keep the Crimson from suffering that "demoralizing" tie.

With just 2:21 left in the game and the Friars searching for a score to overcome the Crimson's one-goal lead, the junior defender made a diving stab of a Providence shot that had escaped Harvard goalie Juliet Lamont. With Lamont pulled out of a net, and only an open net in front of Jackie Gladu's shot, O'Neill lunged towards the ball, clearing it at only the last possible moment.

"I just saw the ball going towards the goal and knew I had to hit it," O'Neill said. "All I tried to do was get my stick on it."

It seemed O'Neill had her stick on the ball all afternoon, though, as she expertly directed a Crimson defense that is considered the team's strong point. Aided by some strong stickwork from Beth Mullen and Lucy Macmillan, O'Neill and company allowed the Friars to get off only six shots on Lamont, who turned in a fine performance herself.

The unexpected surprise of the afternoon, however, was the impressive performance of a somewhat inexperienced offense. Still looking for the combination to replace Jennifer White and Kate Martin--the scoring sensations which led last year's squad to an 11-2-3 mark--Crimson Coach Edie Mabrey found some pleasant surprises in sophomores Linda Runyon and Bambi Taylor.

That duo managed to keep the pressure on Friar goalie Kim Cole for much of the first half. Unlike Saturday, when Northwestern consistently beat the Crimson to the ball, the stickwomen outhustled Providence yesterday, coming up with loose ground ball after loose ground ball.

That persistence finally paid off, when with 17:22 left in the first, Runyon took the ball away from a Providence defender and deposited it past Cole for the Crimson's first goal of the year.

Providence struck back, however, to Knot the score at one with just seven minutes left in the first. After Lamont had made a tremendous save of a Kerry Fisette shot, the Harvard defense was unable to clear the ball. Gladu seized the opportunity for Providence and put in what was to be the Friars' only score of the day.

Junior Trina Burnham put Harvard on top for good with 25:25 left to play when she followed up her own shot and put the ball in the back of the Providence net. That goal, which upped the score to 2-1, set the stage for O'Neill's last-minute heroics and the Crimson's first win of the year.

"We've still got a few problems to iron out," Mabrey said, "but at least this is a start."

Now 1-1, the Crimson will meet highly touted New Hampshire at home Friday. THE NOTEBOOK: Mabrey also applauded the play of junior Andy Mainelli... Lamont finished the game with three saves... Freshman Danielle Ondrick suffered a severely sprained ankle late in the game and was taken to the hospital for X-rays.