Tough End Leaves Crimson Hoping for New Beginning

For the Harvard field hockey team, a promising start to the 2007 campaign did not last, as the Crimson squandered a 3-0 Ivy League start by dropping three of its final four Ancient Eight contests.

Despite controlling its own destiny midway through the year, Harvard could not reverse a late-season slide that left the team tied for fourth place. Though the season-ending 2-1 loss at Columbia dashed the team’s hopes of finishing as high as second in the Ivies, the players feel confident that the team is on an upward trajectory.

The late-fall fade represented a slight blip in an otherwise progressive trend—in 2006, the Crimson was 4-13, though 4-3 in conference play.

“I think we were all disappointed, but all in all, I thought it was a pretty fun season,” co-captain Devon Shapiro said.

Everything was looking up for Harvard after opening the season with a dominating 4-1 start that included a 3-1 victory over conference rival Penn. The Crimson remained unbeaten in Ivy League play heading into a road match against Cornell.

What transpired in Ithaca proved to be the peak of Harvard’s promising season, as the Crimson twice overcame a one-goal deficit in the second half to force an overtime period that Shapiro’s goal ended after less than one minute.

“Anytime you pull through in overtime [it] shows a lot of resilience and shows a lot of team character,” Shapiro said.

Harvard could not translate this show of fortitude into a championship run through the Ivy schedule, dropping five of the next six, including the season-ending match at Columbia.

During this slide, in which the Crimson fell to two Ivy opponents and crosstown rivals Boston College and Boston University, the team’s 1-0 overtime loss at home to the No. 20 Princeton Tigers ended Harvard’s championship quest. Despite a relentless defensive effort in which junior goalkeeper Kylie Stone stopped nine shots, the Tigers found a way to convert off a penalty corner to end the game.

The 2007 season featured a competitive Ivy League that saw four teams, including the Crimson, entering the last weekend of the schedule in a tie for second place and looking to take a share of the title were Princeton to falter in its final contest.

“Playing in the Ivy League week in and week out is always tough,” Shapiro said. “We try to get hyped up for every game, and it’s always a battle.”

Harvard also posted a 1-2 record against Boston area rivals, with the lone win coming in a 2-0 victory over Northeastern in which the Crimson turned away five penalty corners.

“It’s always a big rivalry with the Boston teams, and we’re always working hard to keep pace,” Shapiro said. “That Boston rivalry is really something that keeps our program going.”

Shapiro finished the season fourth in assists and tied for the team lead in goals with junior forwards Tami Jafar and Kayla Romanelli.

Despite the loss of Shapiro, who will leave a big hole to fill thanks to her offensive prowess, the team’s defensive core will remain largely intact.

“We were a young team, and I think this season was a good set up for the future,” Shapiro said.

—Staff writer Robert T. Hamlin can be reached at rhamlin@fas.harvard.edu.