Women Booters Stymied; Battle Green to 0-0 Tie

Last year, Dartmouth defeated a heavily favored Harvard women's soccer team, 3-1, in Hanover, N.H., to knock the Crimson out of the Ivy League race.

The Big Green came to Ohiri Field today to face an angry Harvard squad which has not lost since that game.

But the booters were unable to exact revenge, as the Crimson had to settle for a 0-0 tie in double overtime.

Harvard--currently ranked 15th nationally--saw its record settle at 6-0-3 (1-0-2 Ivy), while Dartmouth's mark moved to 5-4-1 (2-1-1 Ivy).

The shutout was the eighth in nine games this season for two-time All-America netminder Tracee Whitley. Whitley now has a 0.11 goals-against average, and has stopped over 98% of the shots she has faced. Aiding Whitley in her shutout streak has been the Crimson's stong defense corps.

"The defense played great," Whitley said, noting the outstanding performance of senior fullback Lori Barry. "She [Barry] has a great mind set--she just won't allow anyone to beat her."

The Crimson controlled the tempo in the first half of the game, winning many balls in the midfield. Nonetheless, neither team was able to generate good scoring chances in the half.

"I thought we played well at the beginning," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said, "but then we lulled."

In the second stanza, the Big Green came out and dominated play, taking three shots and four corner kicks. Despite the Green offensive flurry, the strong Crimson defense shut down the visitors.

But the physical play of the Big Green began to take its toll on the booters, as freshman fullback Tracy Hackeling and senior midfielder Julie Sasner went down with ankle injuries. Hackeling was able to return to the game, but Sasner was taken for precautionary x-rays after the game.

In the overtime periods, the play was even, although Co-Captain midfielder Karin Pinezich and freshman forward Susan Carls had close scoring opportunities.

When the whistle blew to end the game, Wheaton slumped into a crouch--his action perfectly reflecting the mood of the team. "It's a very big disappointment," Barry said. "But at least we didn't give up three goals.