W. Booters Top Green; Stay Alive in Ivy Race

Harvard women's soccer Coach Tim Wheaton can't control his own destiny, so he is putting his faith in Providence.

The Crimson (4-6-1 overall, 3-1 Ivy) pulled off an exciting 2-1 victory over Dartmouth yesterday at Soldiers Field on a late goal by rookie fullback Erin Matias, keeping Wheaton's squad in the Ivy League race. But Brown can clinch the title today by defeating Cornell in Providence, R.I.

"Our main goal this season was the Ivy League championship, and this game keeps our hopes alive," Wheaton said. "We've just got to win the rest of our games and pray Cornell beats Brown."

After holding the Green (5-4-1 overall, 3-1-1 Ivy) to a scoreless first half, the Crimson scored midway through the second session on a Robin Johnston goal aided by a slick dummy play by junior midfielder Tory Fair.

Harvard halfback Tracy Hackeling dug the ball out of a crowd and swung a one-bounce cross to Fair at the top of the penalty box. Fair charged the ball, but let it slip between her legs to Johnston. The fake froze Johnson's defender, and the sophomore striker broke in alone, nailing a shot past Dartmouth goaltender Debbie Tripaldi for a 1-0 lead with 22 minutes to play.

Ten minutes later, the Green--which came into the game tied with Brown for the league lead--struck back. After a corner kick, Harvard keeper Beth Reilly called Matias off a loose ball to the left of the Crimson net. But Green forward Caitlin Staunton beat her to the ball, sliding through the muddy crease to tap it into the unguarded net. With 10:30 to play, the score was tied.

Not for long. Two minutes later, freshman forward Christine Gaschler crossed the ball into the middle, where it was momentarily controlled by Dartmouth sweeper Kate Hand Hand tried to clear, but her kick was blocked into the goal by Matias, charging upfield from her defensive position.

This time, the Crimson held on to its lead, but not without a few scary moments. Green forward Tracy Hagan trapped a goal kick at the edge of the penalty area, but Reilly stopped her quick shot. With thirty seconds remaining, Reilly was called for handling the ball twice before it cleared the box. But the Green could not take advantage of the unusual violation,

"A game like that comes down to a few opportunities," Wheaton said afterwards. "We played very well, we got the opportunities, and we scored them."

The Crimson kept possession of the ball with a crisp passing game led by Hackeling and a revitalized air attack, led by the high-flying Fair. The aggressive midfielder got her head on almost every goalie punt, both before and after she crashed heads with Green forward Dana Weintraub. Weintraub lay on the field for 10 minutes before walking off with a bloody forehead.

"I like going for the head balls," Fair said. "I did have that one collision. I was kind of embarrassed that it didn't hurt as much as it should have."

For now, the Crimson's eyes will be riveted on Providence. A Cornell victory would put Harvard in first place. A Cornell-Brown tie would give the Crimson a chance to tie Bruins in the standings, but Brown would win the league by virtue of its 2-1 overtime defeat of Harvard.

Harvard can only keep the faith and concentrate on its game this Sunday afternoon at Ohiri.

Against Providence. Do you believe in omens?