Stickwomen Can't Shake Quakers in Philly Draw

Behind their masks and cumbersome padding, field hockey goalies are not accustomed to the limelight.

But yesterday in Philadelphia, Harvard netminder Lisa Yadao got a taste of the glory usually reserved for those who play the field.

Yadao saved the day for the Crimson, holding up under intense Quaker pressure to lead Harvard to a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Ivy leader Penn. Yadao had five saves in overtime play compared to just one for Quaker goalie Sue Donahue.

"Lisa kept us in the game," junior teammate Sandra Whyte said. "They were really pressuring her."

With the exception of a first-half goal by junior middie Loren Ambinder, Harvard (4-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 Ivy) was stifled on offense throughout. The attack managed eight corners in regulation play, but had only two in the overtime periods.

The Quakers (3-2, 2-0-1) tallied the first goal of the game early on when Ivy League Player of the Week Brenda Shaw received a pass from senior Co-Captain Wendy Reideneach on a penalty corner and drove the ball into the cage past Yadao.

Her Lucky Day

With 9:46 remaining in the half, Harvard answered back with what would end up being the last scoring action of the game. After receiving a free hit taken from outside the 25-yard line by junior Kristen Fowler, Ambinder bashed the ball past Donahue to tie the score up at 1-1.

"I cut in front of my girl to get the pass and slammed it in the goal," Ambinder said. "It was kind of a lucky shot."

Harvard's ensuing scoring efforts proved futile, as both teams went scoreless in the second half taking the game into overtime.

"We had a lot of opportunities to score," Whyte said. "We just weren't connecting and getting them in."

Penn registered 11 penalty corners in regulation, keeping constant pressure on Yadao. In OT, the pressure multiplied.

Coneheads

The extra sessions took their toll on the weary Crimson as the defense struggled to hold the newly invigorated Quakers.

"We controlled the game until the overtime," Ambinder said. "Then our mental discipline started to break down. We weren't moving to the ball, we were standing like cones. That really hurt us."

Yadao had several close calls, defending six more penalty corners and recording five more saves, but the junior goaltender held her ground until the buzzer, keeping the final score at 1-1.

"Considering the opportunities Penn had in overtime, we'll take the tie," Harvard Coach Sue Caples said. "Every time we've been down there in the past, we've lost 4- or 5- to nothing. Lisa Yadao just had an outstanding game. She was very strong."

THE NOTEBOOK: The artificial surface at Franklin Field was a factor for some of the visitors, who return to the turf on Wednesday when it travels to Springfield for a 3 p.m. contest..."It was really tough for us playing on turf," senior Co-Captain Anne Van Dykum said. "We were on defense a lot and the defense was having a hard time. We couldn't connect on the passing. We've just got to get used to the turf.