Stickwomen, Bruins Deadlock on Roof

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--It started raining five minutes into the first overtime.

And for the Harvard field hockey team--battling Brown in a scoreless deadlock on the artificial surface of Warner Field on the roof of the Olney Athletic Center--perhaps the rain wasn't a bad thing. After all, the Crimson had crushed Dartmouth, 2-0, in a downpour two weeks ago.

But neither rain nor a stellar performance from its defense could lift the Crimson over the Bruins Saturday in front of 50 shivering spectators.

After 90 frustrating minutes of play, the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

"It wasn't one of our best games," Crimson Coach Nita Lamborghini said.

The scoreless knot knocked Harvard (3-7-3 overall, 2-2-1 Ivy) out of the race for the Ancient Eight title. Brown (4-8-2 overall, 2-2-1 Ivy) had been eliminated from contention a week ago.

Penn clinched its third Ivy League title and its second in three years by defeating Dartmouth on Saturday, 3-0.

Heroes of Zero

As in most of its contests, the Harvard defense held fast Saturday but the offense--despite a gallant effort--could put nothing on the board.

Led by defender Anne Kelly, midfielder Leelee Groome and goalie Denise Katsias, the defense turned in a typically fine performance.

Although giving up 14 shots, the Cantabs allowed only four penalty corners and frustrated the Bruin attack with half-field clearing passes.

Brown forward Lauren Becker--whose four goals coming into Saturday's contest were only five less than what the Crimson had netted all year--was shut down.

Only Bruin wing Kelly Shannon--whose breakaways gave the home team good field position throughout the game--could muster an effective attack.

Katsias (six saves on the afternoon) recorded her fourth shutout of the year and her third in Ivy League play.

"It was one of my better games," the freshman netminder said.

For the third time this year, Harvard had to contend with artificial turf--with mixed results.

"I like the turf," Katsias said. "The ball doesn't bounce so much and it doesn't get stuck in places."

But what was good for the goalie wasn't good for the goal-scorers.

Harvard's offense--brilliant in spots--often sputtered because of the slick carpet. Crimson passes frequently flew past their targets by 10 feet or more.

"If you don't play on it [artificial turf] all the time, you're at a disadvantage," Lamborghini said.

Despite the unfamiliar turf, Harvard had several scoring opportunities.

With the second half just underway, Crimson wing Cindi Ersek took a pass from Jane Grim and drove toward the Bruin net. She was stopped illegally--setting up a penalty corner.

Groome's blast off the corner pass flew just right of the Brown goal.

Forward Kate Felsen and sophomore Nicole Simourian--playing in only her second varsity game--smacked shots with five minutes left in regulation that the Brown netminder skillfully blocked.

With a minute-and-a-half remaining in double overtime, Co-Captain Kelly--who had knocked in a similar shot in the Crimson's 1-1 deadlock with 16th-ranked Boston College Tuesday--took a corner pass and blasted a rocket that smacked off the pads of the Bruin goalie, ending Harvard's last scoring threat.

With the Ivy League title out of reach, the Crimson closes out its season against 11th-ranked Boston University Tuesday and Yale Saturday.

"I really want to finish strong," Lamborghini said. "We've come so far this season."

THE NOTEBOOK: The Harvard JV team beat Brown, 1-0, on Julie Cohen's first-half goal...In the varsity game, two balls flew through the protective nets that surround the rooftop and into the parking lot five stories below...In the JV game, a ball slid into a drain pipe and also wound up in the parking lot...Midfielder Sharon Kosakowski played in both games...Harvard is 1-0-2 in games that have gone into double overtime and 1-1-1 on artificial turf......Harvard's final two games are on the road.