W. Soccer's Ivy Streak Halted in Double-OT

"The better team usually comes out on top," said junior defender Jamie Chu of the Harvard women's soccer team.

That apparently was not the case this weekend as the team dropped a 3-2 overtime contest to Yale on Saturday.

Two goals from Yale's Meg Sullivan spelled doom for the Crimson (4-2-1, 1-1-0 Ivy), the last one coming four minutes into the overtime period.

"We definitely dominated the entire period," said senior midfielder Kristin Bowes. "Their goals were quick counter-attacks after we had held the ball for awhile."

Opportunities were many for the Crimson; Harvard outshot Yale 24-13. Despite this offensive prowess, what mattered in the end was goals scored, not shots on goal.

"Percentage-wise, we should be scoring much more," said junior defender Ashley Marynick. "We hit a couple of crossbars. We missed a couple by inches."

"They just ended up converting when they had to," Chu said.

Yale's Jennifer Wideberg opened the scoring early in the first half. Junior forward Naomi Miller tied it up in the 20th minute for the Crimson. The second half followed suit with Yale's Sullivan getting the first of her two goals early. Senior forward Lindsay Minkus found the net to even the game later in the half. That was how it remained until Sullivan scored her second goal in the overtime period.

"We weren't panicky," Chu said. "We played really, really well. They just ended up converting when they had to."

"We assumed a goal was going to come," said Bowes.

The loss ended the team's 22-game Ivy League unbeaten streak.

"It's unfortunate that our streak came to an end," Chu said. "If we had finished out the year on this streak, we might have been the all-time best team in the Ivy League."

The team travels to Virginia on Thursday for weekend matchups against nationally-ranked teams George Mason and Maryland. Harvard follows that up with a trip to Connecticut to take on UConn, another national powerhouse, a week from Wednesday.

"These next three games are some of the toughest teams we will face this year," Bowes said.

"We get to prove ourselves against nationally-ranked teams," Marynick said. "It's not going to be an easy stretch."

These non-league contests are going to be important if the Crimson is to advance to the postseason. If the Crimson does not win the Ivy League-and therefore does not receive the automatic tournament berth-these games could be crucial for getting an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.

Don't count the Crimson out for the Ivy League title, though.

"There is a lot of parity among the teams this year," Chu said. "Hopefully, this game won't be a real problem for us. Most of the teams are strong and have a chance at beating Yale."

"We are upset, but we have to look on to the rest of the Ivy League," Marynick said. "We have to take one game at a time. And we have to win." HARVARD  2 YALE  3

Yale, 3-2 at New Haven, Conn. Harvard  1  1  0  0  --  2 Yale  1  1  1  0  --  3

Scoring

Yale-Wideberg (unassisted) 7:19

Har-Miller (Bingham, Chu) 20:26

Yale-Sullivan (Kwon) 51:42

Har-Minkus (Bingham, Miller) 66:06

Yale-Sullivan (Kwon) 94:34

Saves: Har-Burney 6; Yale-Haist 11.

Yale, 3-2 at New Haven, Conn. Harvard  1  1  0  0  --  2 Yale  1  1  1  0  --  3

Scoring

Yale-Wideberg (unassisted) 7:19

Har-Miller (Bingham, Chu) 20:26

Yale-Sullivan (Kwon) 51:42

Har-Minkus (Bingham, Miller) 66:06

Yale-Sullivan (Kwon) 94:34

Saves: Har-Burney 6; Yale-Haist 11.

Scoring

Yale-Wideberg (unassisted) 7:19

Har-Miller (Bingham, Chu) 20:26

Yale-Sullivan (Kwon) 51:42

Har-Minkus (Bingham, Miller) 66:06

Yale-Sullivan (Kwon) 94:34

Saves: Har-Burney 6; Yale-Haist 11.