Field Hockey Earns First NCAA Berth Since 1991

The Harvard field hockey team (12-6, 6-1 Ivy) celebrated its most successful season in nine years, finishing No. 14 in the nation with the promise of more to come.

"It's only setting in now what an unbelievable season it was," said senior Kate Nagle. "I couldn't have asked for a better season."

After a 2-0 loss to Princeton on October 21, the Crimson's hopes of an Ivy title and NCAA berth were fading. But solid wins over Dartmouth and Columbia over the next couple of weekends gave the Crimson a strong finish for the regular season as well as the team's first six-win Ivy season in Harvard history.

"Going into the Princeton game, it would have been a dream come true to win that game and gain the top rank," co-captain Maisa Badawy said. "Hats off to Princeton, they are an amazing team. But there was no question that we weren't going to take it to Columbia and Dartmouth."

With a sound regular season behind it, the Crimson was awarded its first NCAA berth since 1991.

"After the loss to Princeton, we knew we had an outside chance to make it to NCAAs," Nagle said. "We toughed it up and trooped on. NCAAs has, season in, season out, been a goal of the team."

"Making NCAAs was such a rewarding accomplishment," Badawy said. "We proved ourselves and that meant a lot to us."

Harvard faced fourth-seeded Wake Forest in the first round, a game that sent the Crimson home with a 6-3 loss. Harvard exchanged goals with the Demon Deacons for the first 40 minutes of the game, but Wake Forest scored three unanswered goals to advance to the next round.

The rosters of the National Field Hockey Coaches Associations Regional All-American and the All-Ivy teams are reflective of Harvard's accomplishments this season.

Badawy and sophomore back Katie Scott both earned first-team all Ivy and first team Regional All-American honors. Badawy's unanimous selection to the All-Ivy team proved her proficiency in the midfield.

"Maisa always left everything she had on the field," freshman Kate McDavitt said. "On the field, the seniors set the tone of the work ethic. Off the field, they were really good at keeping the team together and forming bonds."

Scott's ball-handling skills were invaluable in clearing the ball out of Harvard's end and sending the ball into the circle on penalty corners. Her efforts combined with the performances of freshman keeper Katie Zacarian led the Crimson to an exceptional season on defense.

Zacarian's accomplishments were rewarded with second-team All-Ivy honors. A three-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Zacarian finished the season tied with Princeton's Kelly Baril for the Ivy lead in shutouts with seven. At one point Zacarian tallied three shutouts in a row against Northeastern, Yale, and Boston College.

Zacarian also created a stir when she blocked all but one of UMass' 22 shots, including five taken on penalty corners in the first half alone. UMass, ranked No. 9 in the nation at the time, scored the single goal of the game 4 minutes into the second overtime.

But Zacarian wasn't the only freshman sensation this season.

McDavitt was honored as a second-team Regional All-American. Nagle and SHE represented the Crimson forwards with a second-team all Ivy selection.

McDavitt opened her rookie season with a hat trick against Vermont, a preview of what was to come. With a combination of speed and stick skills, McDavitt made a difference almost immediately.

Nagle showed her talent for finding the goal with nine goals on the season to bring her career total to 25. This places her fourth on Harvard's all-time goals scored list.

Co-captain Liz Sarles battled injury throughout the season to lead her team on from the midfield.

"Liz played through a really bad knee injury," McDavitt said. "It made us work harder for her."

The seniors leave an invaluable parting gift for the field hockey program: the Crimson's best season in almost a decade and a successful transition to turf. The move from grass to turf could have been disastrous for the first couple years of play, but it has instead proved to be the spark Harvard needed to become one of the top teams in the nation.