A Team With Something Extra

BETHLEHEM, Penn.--It was close. Oh, so close.

The Harvard women's lacrosse team went to the well every game this season, and each time, someone came through.

Sometimes it was senior Sarah Leary in the goal. Other times, it was junior Liz Berkery, senior Buffy Hansen, sophomore Francie Walton or sophomore Sarah Downing on the attack.

Often, the whole team just dug deep and pulled it out. Even in the midseason loss to Loyola, there was a bright side: Leary's 15 saves in the game.

In the NCAA seminfinal match on Saturday, it was freshman Sarah Winters who pulled the bucket up and found a four-goal performance.

The shy freshman had scored only six goals all season, but refused to take credit for even those tallies. Instead, she credited the balanced Crimson attack.

Leary also turned in a stellar performance in the net against Princeton, holding the Tigers scoreless until the Crimson offense could get on track.

But in the finals yesterday, it was another story. Maryland played like a team possessed. The terrapins were the runner-ups in 1990 (to Harvard) and 1991, and they simply would not be denied again.

Down, 9-6 in the second half, Maryland refused to fold. The team scored three straight goals to send the game to overtime.

Even when Liz Berkery scored the first overtime goal for Harvard, Maryland didn't quit. The Terps proceeded to tie the game at 10, and then seized the lead, 11-10.

The team's experience was definitely a factor, but there's more to it than that. The Terrapins had also been down, 6-4, in the quarterfinal game against Virginia, but came back to win in overtime.

Yesterday, the Crimson had Maryland staring into an open grave, but the Terrapins were simply relentless.

Down, 11-10 in overtime, with just six seconds left, Harvard's Berkery had a chance to tie the game.

All season, Berkery prevailed when the pressure was on. This time, she came up short.

It was a penalty shot, but three Maryland players were between Berkery and the goal. Maryland goalie Mandy Stevenson blocked the bounced shot, and the game--the season--was over.

The championship match was full of momentum swings, and in the end Harvard got caught, at the wrong time. It faced a team that would not give up.

Harvard, was seeded first. and, by the statistics, the crimson was clearly the best team in the tournament.

But, as the old cliche goes, the final score was the only stat that counted yesterday.

Maryland had something the Crimson, didn't. What it was, I'm not sure.

It wasn't the talent. Or the coaching. And it was more than just experience.

Maybe it was heart. But knowing this Harvard squad, I'm reluctant to make that statement.

I guess Maryland was just due for a win.