Field Hockey Edges New Hampshire, Evens Season Record

Last year, it took a tough overtime comeback for New Hampshire to end Harvard’s four-game series winning streak.

The Crimson (1-1) reclaimed the series against the Wildcats (2-2) last night in a 3-2 decision with an explosive second half.

Neither team had a goal on the scoresheet when the first-half whistle sounded at Jordan Field last night, but the short halftime break sparked an offensive surge in both teams. Just minutes into second period, the Crimson tallied its first score of the season, with captain Devon Shapiro assisting on a goal by sophomore midfielder Kristin Bannon. The score came after a Wildcat foul on an attempted clear, which granted Harvard the penalty corner.

New Hampshire responded after just 1:45 later to tie the score at 1, ending both teams’ droughts less than five minutes into the half.

Harvard’s answer was another corner shot on goal from junior back Francine Polet, which rang true and put the Crimson ahead, 2-1.

Harvard sealed its offensive victory around the 52-minute mark. Freshman forwards Leigh McCoy and Maggie McVeigh executed a give-and-go play, with McVeigh drawing the defense only to pass it off to an open McCoy, who put the shot in for a 3-1 lead.

Defense reigned during the final twenty minutes for Harvard, and while New Hampshire was able to put another score to pull within one, a few key stops, including an intercepted pass by freshman back Pilar Curtis, prevented the Wildcats from equalizing.

“It’s always a battle with them,” Shapiro said. “They are a tough team, and they never stop fighting. Just having that knowledge going into the game, we were prepared for that.”

Harvard won the offensive race in the second half, but it was New Hampshire that outshot the Crimson in the first half, 9-3, even though both teams were scoreless at halftime.

Harvard outshot the Wildcats, 9-6, though, in the pivotal second period, and it was the 7-6 Crimson advantage in penalty corners that ended up pushing the game in Harvard’s favor.

“This was a huge team win,” captain Jana Berglund said about the 250th victory in team history. “We had a great showing from our freshmen and the corner offense, but I couldn’t single out one part of the field that stood out more than the others.”

The well-rounded Crimson looks for its second team victory in its first Ivy League showdown when Penn visits this Saturday.

—Staff writer Paul T. Hedrick can be reached at phedrick@fas.harvard.edu.