W. Soccer Crushes Crusaders

If Friday the 13th is traditionally a harbinger of bad things, perhaps Thursday the 13th means good luck in the sporting universe.

Harvard received a bit of good fortune yesterday, in the form of an easy 5-1 home win over Holy Cross (2-9-0) that featured a hat trick by freshman midfielder Megan Merritt.

Harvard (5-4-2, 3-1-0 Ivy) refined its offense and gained some much-needed confidence heading into the final weeks of its Ivy League schedule, where it stands in third place. Five goals were a season-high for the club, and its nine goals in the last two games matched its scoring output for the entire season up to that point.

“We have been putting our passes together, running off each other, and we’re putting away more goals as the season goes by,” Merritt said.

Much of the offensive impetus came from Merritt, who tallied her first collegiate goal in the third minute of the contest. The opening strike came on a corner kick served into the middle by sophomore Katie Johnston to Merritt, who at nearly six feet tall, climbed over the Crusader defense and headed it down into the net.

She added two more in the second half, as the Crimson turned a tight 2-1 halftime lead into a blowout. Her second goal followed a tantalizing run up the left side by junior midfielder Maile Tavepholjalern, returning from a two-game absence with an ankle injury, and a deft pass by freshman Danielle Mirabal—her second assist in as many games.

Merritt slotted home her third goal off a feed from freshman midfielder Jaime Greenwald, finishing Harvard’s first hat trick of the season, and putting the game out of reach with sixteen minutes remaining.

The Crimson netted another score in the 82nd minute, as senior Emily Colvin slid free just inside the 18-yard box and drove home her third goal of the season.

The contest was not always so comfortable for the Crimson. Despite an 18-2 first-half shooting advantage, Harvard had trouble finding the back of the net, allowing Holy Cross to sneak in for a stunning, bench-silencing equalizer with eight minutes left in the half.

Crusaders senior Lynette Zickl found some space in front of the net and forced one past junior goalie Katie Shields. That would prove to be Shields’ only blemish of the afternoon, making three easy saves in 72 minutes, before yielding to backup junior Julia James.

“It may have been a little weak [of a defensive effort] for this game,” Colvin said. “But only because our defense is usually so solid. One goal doesn’t change anything.”

The goal did serve as a wake-up call and turning point in the match. The game-tying goal sent a surge of energy through the Crimson midfield, as it picked up its intensity and forced the ball into the Holy Cross half.

“We came out a little too complacent in the first half,” senior midfielder Alisha Moran said. “I think the second half was a different game in terms of finishing.”

Their answer came on another set piece, when a corner kick by Mirabal was popped high into the air by Colvin and luckily found the waiting temple of junior striker Sara Sedgwick, who scored Harvard’s second straight goal in the air.

Harvard, who currently sits at number five in the regional rankings after achieving the requisite .500 record to qualify for placement, solidified that status heading into a difficult pair of road contests over the next two Saturdays—against rivals Brown and Princeton.