Downward Spiral Continues for Crimson

On the heels of a nine-game skid, the Harvard field hockey team entered its last home game of the season this weekend with hopes of reversing its misfortune. But the Crimson (5-11, 1-5 Ivy) was unable to overcome its tendency to lose close games, dropping a hard fought 2-1 contest to Dartmouth (8-7, 4-2) on Saturday at frosty Jordan Field.

“We were a little bit flat in general,” captain midfielder Jen McDavitt said. “It could be the challenge of continually trying to get emotionally excited for games when you’re in a tough streak. We didn’t have the energy, and the tempo of the game wasn’t great. To Dartmouth’s credit, they played a great game.”

Harvard opened the scoring early in the first half. A series of passes created a breakaway opportunity on the right side of the field. Senior midfielder Jane Sackovich fired a shot deflected by a Big Green defender. The ball popped up in front of the net, and junior forward Gretchen Fuller shot the ball past Darmouth goalie Lauren Balukjian at the 14:01 mark to give Harvard a 1-0 lead.

The Crimson advantage proved short-lived, however. A little over five minutes later, back Whitney Waugh, who led the Big Green with four shots on goal, converted on a penalty corner to knot the game at 1-1.

The score remained deadlocked until late in the first half. Forward Lizzie Bidner netted what would prove to be the gamewinning goal, deflecting a shot past freshman goalie Kelly Knoche with 1:18 left in the first half. Sophomore Siobhan Connolly would replace Knoche in the second half and recorded two saves on the afternoon.

Another strong defensive effort kept Harvard in the game. In all but three games, the Crimson has limited opponents to two goals or less. Yet despite several second-half scoring opportunities, Harvard could not find the back of the net. The Crimson held a 5-3 shot advantage in the second half, but failed to convert.

“We definitely had some chances to score in the second half,” Fuller said. “Sometimes we just missed the net by a couple of feet, and other times we didn’t get good shots off. The team that minimizes those errors the most comes out with the win.”

The defeat marked the ninth time Harvard has endured a one-goal loss this season.

“It’s definitely been a challenge,” McDavitt said. “There are times when we feel really upset after games because we feel like we’ve outplayed teams. To come up short so many times has been really hard on us, especially because we’ve been playing well. It makes it hard to be so close.”

One final contest remains for the Crimson, which will travel to face Columbia in Hoboken, N.J. next Saturday. Despite the temptation to ease up given the team’s recent struggles, Harvard intends to be unrelenting in what will be the last game for six members of the team: McDavitt, Sackovich, Kristen Keating, Beverly Ting, Laura Werner, and Beth Sackovich.

Although the Crimson’s record is not particularly indicative of strong play, the squad feels that their effort will translate to a successful finish.

“We know we’re a good team,” McDavitt added. “It’s not satisfying to play a good game and lose, but it is comforting to know that we aren’t to be taken lightly. We can play with the best of teams.”