ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Rookie Boosts D, Shuts Down Cornell

CORRECTIONS APPENDED

Perseverance has defined much of the season for Harvard field hockey, and perhaps none have exemplified it more than freshman goalie Cynthia Tassopoulos. The rookie has stepped in to start all of the Crimson’s games this year, and with five contests remaining has already pushed Harvard (5-7, 2-2 Ivy League) to within one victory of its 2008 total. More impressively, though, has been the fashion in which Tassopoulos has led the squad, excelling in the face of strong competition.

“We’ve played a lot of good teams and [Tassopoulos] has had to make a lot of quick decisions under pressure,” Harvard coach Sue Caples said. “That’s huge for anyone, let alone a freshman goalie.”

“Every game [at this level], you have to come out strong,” Tassopoulos observed. “There is no easy opponent. You have to be on your game every single game. It’s definitely a different mentality.”

Tassopoulos’ early career has proven to be a trial by fire, with the Crimson taking on a number of talented non-conference teams, including UMass, Michigan, and BU in consecutive weeks. As expected, such talented opponents have created a barrage of shots, and Tassopoulos has been forced to respond. The rookie has amassed 99 saves for an average of 8.25 per game, up from Harvard’s 5.41 a year ago and good for 9th in the nation. Tassopoulos has even notched 23 saves in a single contest, at then-No.5 Connecticut on Sept. 23.

“I think we’re giving up too many shots and don’t want Cynthia to look that good. No more Ivy Rookie of the Week,” Caples joked, referring to the award given to Tassopoulos two weeks ago.

Yet, rather than wither in the face of an onslaught, the Crimson’s rookie netminder has shown dramatic improvement, marked by her first collegiate shutout last Saturday in a crucial Ivy contest against Cornell.

“It was so cool [to record the shutout],” said Tassopoulos in light of a narrow 1-0 victory. “I’ve been waiting for that shutout to come and it was a good game to have it. We went to Cornell and didn’t know what to expect…but it increased our chances for an Ivy Championship.”

The Dallas, Texas native and four-year standout at Hockaday High School has clearly come a long way, especially considering that Tassopoulos took up the goalie position as a high school freshman simply because it “seemed like fun.” But the Harvard rookie’s rapid improvement becomes even more striking given the fundamental changes from high school competition to collegiate field hockey. Despite Tassopoulos’ past success, it was difficult to predict at the outset of the season whether anyone could be prepared to assume the role as the Crimson’s lone goalie from day one.

“Going from high school to college is much faster and more physical, and [Tassopoloos] is facing a lot of higher quality shots,” co-captain Elizabeth Goodman-Bacon said. “She really had to rise to the college level immediately, but for someone who is so level-headed and motivated…she really stepped up and was playing at a Division I level in only two months.”

And beyond the typical trials of higher-level play, Tassopoulos had to adjust to Jordan Field, which promotes an entirely new game compared to the fields of Texas.

“In high school, we played on grass, which is a lot different from artificial turf,” Tassopoulos explained. “It’s a different game, but it’s more enjoyable to see how the game is supposed to look, instead of much slower.”

If the increased game speed bothers Tassopoulos, the freshman does not show it. Not only has the goalkeeper displayed her physical talent with a number of athletic kick saves throughout the year, but her teammates also credit Tassopoulos as an outstanding field general.

“[Tassopoulos] has stepped up with confidence,” Goodman-Bacon said. “She’s learned to be a good leader, and she is very directive, which has helped the defense to improve.”

Such adept game management will prove even more critical as Harvard completes its Ivy schedule. The squad has already logged the same number of conference wins as its 2008 counterpart, but every Ancient Eight team is proving competitive. In fact, while Tassopoulos’ .744 save percentage ranks her 29th in the nation, this mark proves only fourth best within the conference. Yet, given the rookie’s stellar play and tremendous improvement, Caples seems more than happy to work with the personnel she has.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrond@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTIONS

An earlier version of the Oct. 20 sports article "ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Rookie Boosts D, Shuts Down Cornell" misspelled the last name of freshman goalie Cynthia Tassopoulos as Tassopoulus.

The original article also misspelled the name of the high school Tassopoulos attended. She went to Hockaday, not Hockaway.