UNH Ties Up W. Booters, 2-2

Before the Harvard women's soccer team's contest against New Hampshire, Coach Tim Wheaton analyzed the Wildcat game plan.

"UNH is the kind of team that takes advantage of their opponent's mistakes," Wheaton said.

Wheaton's words were eerily prophetic.

The Crimson dominated the Wildcats for most of the game, but a slip in the Crimson's intensity level midway through the first half produced all the scoring UNH needed to escape with a 2-2 tie.

Harvard scored with relative ease four minutes into the game. Surprised by its early success, the Crimson let its level of play fall off slightly.

The Wildcats capitalized on the lull and drilled the Crimson for two goals in a nine-minute stretch.

"UNH took the game away from us after we died down," Wheaton said.

The Crimson reassumed control of the tempo in the second half, but failed to tie the score until late in the game.

Junior forward Laurie Uustal tied the game with 9:23 left, with an assist credited to senior back Erin Matias.

"We dominated the entire second half and the overtime," Wheaton said. "We were unfortunate not to score any goals."

A factor in the Crimson's inability to score in the second half was the inaccuracy of the strikers. Harvard shot 16 times on goal, but Wildcat goalie Molly Kirchner only made six saves.

UNH had marginally better accuracy, as sophomore goalie Brooke Donahoe racked up 11 saves on 17 shots.

Senior Jen Minkus tallied the first goal of the game with just 4:05 gone, with an assist from Betsy Mill.

The Wildcats attack was continually frustrated by the strong Harvard defense. The defense is led by Matias, who Wheaton calls "one of the best pure defenders I have ever seen."

Donahoe, who turned in strong performances in spot starts last season, is proving herself as one of the strengths of this balanced team. This year, she has allowed only three goals in two games.

Minkus, a first year starter, has rapidly become one of the stars of the team. Minkus, who has lettered in two sports already at Harvard, has scored twice and recorded one assist this season. Her hustle and dedication has won her much respect from both teammates and opponents.

The next game for this strong Crimson squad will be this Saturday, at home against Columbia. The game marks the beginning of Ivy League play for the team.

While traditional powerhouse Brown is still the favorite to roll to the championship, Harvard may have the talent to upset the defending champions. But mental lapses, such as the ones that occurred against UNH, are not the hallmarks of championship teams.