Laxwomen Host 12th-Ranked Loyola

If last year's game is any indication, this weekend's match-up between the Harvard women's lacrosse team and the Loyola Lady Greyhounds is going to be a well-played, hard-fought contest.

And while this game is certainly not for the national championship, the stakes are extremely high.

A win for Harvard (6-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy league) would help the team maintain its number eight national ranking. More importantly, it would keep the Crimson in the hunt to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament and give the players a chance to defend their collegiate crown.

For Loyola (7-4 overall), today's afternoon clash at Ohiri Field is the perfect opportunity to exact a little revenge. The Lady Greyhounds were simply not fast enough in last year's contest, falling to Harvard, 7-6, on their home turf.

As one of the Crimson's many victims in last year's undefeated, championship season, Loyola would like nothing more than to deny Harvard a chance of reaching the tourney and defending its title. A victory today would definitely put a damper on the Crimson's hopes.

Loyola is a very capable team. While they may not be on par with the squad that reached the national semi-finals last year, they are well-balanced and very talented. The Lady Greyhounds have earned their number 12 national ranking with a perfect record on the road, where they have won five games.

Loyola has had little trouble scoring goals this year. Colleen Anderson, who tallied against the Crimson last season, is the Lady Greyhounds leading scorer, with 44 points (31 goals, 13 assists) in twelve games. She is followed by classmate Sabrina Gallagher (25 goals, 6 assists), who has a team-high 112 career points. Loyola has been able to spread the wealth on attack, with five players in all scoring 10 or more goals.

Harvard will counter with sophomore Liz Berkery and freshman Sarah Downing. Berkery is the Crimson's leading scorer on the season (26 goals, 3 assists), and co-leader in the Ivy League standings. The prolific attacker is coming off a six-goal performance against cross-town rival Boston College, where her offensive explosion led the Crimson to a 13-5 victory--its fourth straight.

Downing has contributed greatly in her first season at the collegiate level. The freshman attacker's six-goal performance against Yale last Wednesday earned her Offensive Player of the Week in the Ivy League. Her aggressive play and production (13 points) has taken some of the pressure off Berkery, who until the Yale contest had carried the Crimson offense.

As a team, Harvard is beginning to find its rhythm. After dropping a disappointing game to seventh-ranked New Hampshire April 6, the Crimson has rebounded in strong fashion, claiming its last four games.

In this span, Harvard has played with confidence and success at both ends of the field. While it is difficult competing in the shadow of last year's team, this year's squad has responded, getting production from its veterans and younger players.

These "veterans" have mainly asserted their presence on the defensive end of the field. Co-Captain Ceci Clark and senior defender Sue Carls have made scoring a difficult task for would-be attackers, and goalie Sarah Leary has come up with big saves, as well as recording her first career shutout. Junior midfielders Becky Gaffney and Elizabeth Hansen have also been instrumental, at both ends of the field, in each of the Crimson victories.

And while these players will need to come up big against Loyola, it will be a team effort that will be the key to success, and send the Lady Greyhounds packing.