W. Lax Gains First Ivy Win

For the Harvard women’s lacrosse team, it’s not over until it’s over. After a slow start to its season, the Crimson rallied back to register its first Ivy victory against Columbia on Saturday and finished the weekend on a high note with a dominating victory at Jordan Field over Cal-Berkeley.

The 16-11 win at Columbia (6-8, 0-7 Ivy) and 11-2 win over Cal-Berkeley (10-5) evened out the Crimson’s overall record. By reaching the .500 mark the Crimson (6-6, 1-4) still has a shot at qualifying for the upcoming ECAC postseason tournament.

Harvard 11, California 2

With a combination of spin moves, sharp cuts and defensive stops, the Crimson ran away with a nine-point margin of victory over the Golden Bears yesterday.

From the start of the game, the Harvard attack was quick and steady. Junior midfielder Leslie Moroz stopped the clock at Jordan Field just one minute and three seconds into the game by scoring on a setup from co-captain Heather Hussey.

At 22:46 senior midfielder Heather Gotha tallied another point for the Crimson as she drove to the net for an unassisted score.

While the Bears fought back by scoring a goal at 17:41, the Crimson proved more able to convert its scoring opportunities and netted four more goals during the final 11 minutes of the first-half. Three of these scores came off free-position possessions that resulted from defensive fouls committed by the Bears.

The Crimson also allowed the Bears to have free-position opportunities, but the persistent defense of Gotha and senior Erin Kutner—along with the great stops of sophomore goalkeeper Laura Mancini—extinguished Cal-Berkeley’s scoring chances.

The Crimson continued to extend its lead and exert its dominance in the second half, in large part due to the efforts of junior attacker Katie O’Brien.

With her drives and agile spins towards the net, O’Brien finished with two goals and two assists.

“She’s been playing very well in practice and came off the bench really well for us today,” said Coach Carole Kleinfelder.

Gotha and freshman Casey Owens also added two goals apiece as Hussey, senior attacker Melissa Christino, freshman Elaine Belitsos and freshman attacker Bessie Clark each contributed one to the Crimson’s offensive success.

“To go out there and dominate, to play to our full potential and to not have any lapses was a nice change for us today,” O’Brien said.

Harvard 16, Columbia 11

The Crimson ended its Ivy drought with a victory over Columbia on Saturday. The Lions dropped to 0-35 in their five-year history in the Ivy League.

The first 28 minutes of the game did not look promising for Harvard as Columbia opened up a two-point lead. But the Crimson scored 10 unanswered goals over an 18-minute stretch that began with 1:33 left in the first half.

This offensive explosion went hand-in-hand with a more effective second-half defense and the strong presence of Mancini that allowed just three goals in the last 31 minutes of play.

“The first and the second halves were two different games,” Kleinfelder said. “We weren’t there in the first half but in the second the team got the job done and executed the transition.”

Junior midfielder Katie Shaughnessy’s stand-out performance is what assured the Crimson victory.

Shaughnessy provided the Crimson with a much-needed spark as she led the team by firing seven goals into the back of the net.

“At the half we all knew we had no choice. We had to come out strong,” Shaughnessy said. “But this time we not only said it, we did it.”

Hoping to carry their momentum and improve on their .500 record, the women’s lacrosse team will next face a tough opponent in No. 20 New Hampshire on Wednesday.