It's All Wet But It's All Right: Laxwomen Crush Rhode Island, 12-3

You had to be either crazy or the Harvard women's lacross squad to have wanted to finish last night's debacle at Boston University's Nickerson Field.

Because if the freezing drizzle in the first half didn't do enough to dampen spirits, the freezing downpour in the second certainly did.

But with its extent of full-field practice almost solely limited to this game, and one of its biggest showdowns just days away, the Crimson needed work, Lots.

So come drizzle, rain and downpour, the Laxwomen staved off Mother Nature and a vastly outclassed University of Rhode Island squad, 12-3, before a handful of crazy spectators.

"At least we finished it," a shivering and wet Harvard Coach Carole Kleinfelder said as she scurried inside.

And for a team that's been locked inside Briggs Athletic Center--unable to practice outside because of recent snows and subsequent flooding--the complete game on a complete field made complete sense.

"We really didn't play that well," said Captain Maggie Hart, who did manage to play pretty well. "But at least we got outside."

"And it gave us a good chance to get some confidence."

That was the chief concern for Kleinfelder, whose troops will now take a 1-1 record into the most crucial of Ivy showdowns with Penn on Saturday.

"I'm extremely nervous [about Penn] because I know they've been outside all week," said the Crimson coach, whose team's only ventures outside this entire year have been at the University of Maryland last Saturday (a 9-2 loss) and a B.U. last night.

Originally scheduled as the home opener, Nickerson Field became Harvard's home opener away from home, thanks to the submerged condition of Soldiers Field.

But in last night's opening moments, the Crimson would have had trouble treading the water back on Soldiers Field. For it wasn't just the unfamiliar artificial turf of Nickerson Field, or just the inspired play of the visiting Blue Hens that accounted for URI's 1-0 lead five minutes into the game.

Harvard's sloppy play was enemy number one.

But the arrival of the Maggie Hart Show put away any URI dreams of upsetting one of the nation's most highly touted teams. And after the senior attacker left for the sidelines with five goals and two assists, nature's chilly deluge put out to sea any dreams of a URI comeback.

So, too, did the emergence of a potent scoring attack from a group of no-names who are trying to fill the shoes of the most talented lacrosse players in Harvard history. Graduation took the five laxwomen who turned the program into one of the nation's finest Last year. Harvard finished 12-4-1 and as a NCAA quarter-finalist.

Who will emerge as the leaders on the three-time defending Ivy champions became a little clearer last night, when Lucy Chubb, Ellen Velie, Elsa Black, Andy Mainelli, Alicia Clifton, Abby Ames and Blair Wardenburg all netted goals to give the Crimson its first win of the year.

Lost in the offensive show was the impressive play of the Harvard defense, flanked by junior Ellen O'Neill.

But Penn should provide a tidal wave of challenge compared to URI, and because of that, Kleinfelder's still a bit worried.

"We're still not playing with the intensity we should." Kleinfelder said "Whether that's because of the weather we'll just have to see."

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard led at half, 5-3... Junior Holly Kenyon scored all three URI goals... Kleinfelder was pleased with the play of Wardenburg, whose aggresive style proved too much for the Blue Hens.