Crimson Drops Fifth Straight

The Harvard field hockey team traveled to Hanover, N.H. on Saturday to face Dartmouth in its penultimate game of the season.

The Crimson had won the last four meetings in Hanover and looked to snap a current four-game losing skid.

The contest, which featured a total of only five shots on net, was a defensive struggle, but the Big Green (6-9, 4-2 Ivy) broke through on a penalty stroke late in the second half to defeat the Crimson (6-10, 2-4 Ivy), 1-0, on Dartmouth’s Senior Day.

Most of the game was marked by midfield play, as the teams were deadlocked in a scoreless tie. However, with only 12 minutes remaining in the second half, Dartmouth got on the scoreboard when it gained a penalty stroke after senior goaltender Kylie Stone was whistled for interfering with a Big Green player in front of the net.

Dartmouth forward Chelsea Dodds came into the game to take the penalty stroke and blasted a shot past Stone into the upper right-hand corner of the net, giving the Big Green the lead and eventually the win.

“We played a pretty good game,” Stone said. “It looked like we would make it into overtime, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”

The Crimson could not match Dodds’ score in dropping its fifth straight game. Harvard’s offense, which failed to record a goal for the fourth time in five games, was stymied time after time by the Big Green defense and managed only three shots in the game—two in first half, one in the second.

“We’ve had some unlucky breaks,” Stone said of the struggling offense. “We’ve had some close calls. It’s been a matter of inches, and it hasn’t worked out for us lately.”

Harvard’s first promising opportunity came midway through the first half. In the 28th minute, Harvard was fouled in the circle and gained a penalty corner. Junior midfielder Kristin Bannon took the corner and sent a pass directly to freshman midfielder Carly Dickson who fired a shot on net. Dartmouth goaltender Meagan Vakiener, however, was up to the challenge, kicking Dickson’s shot away.

Vakiener’s save ignited a counterattack, as the Big Green pushed the ball ahead into Harvard territory.

Dartmouth midfielder Rebecca Sobel managed to fire a shot, but the ball hit the post, and the Crimson survived the scare.

Harvard’s next scoring threat came late in the second half, minutes after Dodds’ penalty stroke, when the Crimson had its one and only opportunity to tie the game.

Dickson again led the attack. This time, the freshman received the ball, drove into the circle, and fired a shot on net, but Vakiener stopped the attempt and cleared the threat, preserving her first shutout of the season.

Vakiener had two saves on the afternoon, while Stone registered three stops. The Big Green had a wide edge in shots, 8-3, but the Crimson had an advantage in penalty corners, 2-1. It was the second straight game that Harvard allowed just one penalty corner.

Saturday’s win pushed Dartmouth into third place in the Ivy League standings and dropped Harvard into a fifth-place tie with Yale.

The Crimson closes out its season at Jordan Field next Saturday in a game against Columbia. The Lions have lost three straight.

“I’m really hoping for this last game that we can bring together everything we’ve learned this year and, for the seniors, the last four years,” Stone said.

—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.