SEASON RECAP: Season Closes Out with Disappointing Slump

Although the Harvard field hockey team enjoyed some early success, a six-game losing streak at the end of the schedule spoiled what looked to be a promising season.

The late-season slide, which included 1-0 losses to Cornell and Dartmouth, dropped the Crimson to 6-11 overall and 2-5 in the Ivy League, good for a fifth-place tie in the conference. The losing streak came largely as a result of a struggling offense, as Harvard managed to find the back of the cage only twice in the final six games.

“We had many close games, and hard-fought ones, too,” co-captain Kylie Stone said. “Some went our way and others didn’t. It’s all about the competition and giving it your all, and I think we did that this season.”

Over the course of the 2008 campaign, the Crimson had its share of triumphs. Harvard won its opening game, 1-0, against Holy Cross on a second-half goal from sophomore midfielder Chloe Keating. The Crimson dropped its next three games, including a heartbreaker against UMass. Trailing the Minutewomen, 2-1, in the closing minutes, sophomore forward Leigh McCoy stole the ball and blasted a shot into the goal to force overtime. Although Harvard survived the first overtime, it fell in the second extra period, 3-2.

The Crimson experienced the emotional high point of the season in its next game against Yale. In a scoreless contest, freshman midfielder Carly Dickson earned a penalty stroke with ten minutes remaining. She lifted a shot into the top right corner, her first collegiate goal, to propel Harvard to a 1-0 victory.

The Crimson dropped its next two games before entering its best stretch of the season. Against Vermont, Brown, Northeastern, and Saint Louis, Harvard rolled off four straight wins with the offense totaling 16 goals in the process.

The catalyst for the offense proved to be McCoy, who notched a team-leading six scores for the Crimson. Against the Billikens, McCoy tallied two goals en route to a convincing 6-0 victory. Senior forward Tami Jafar also buoyed the Harvard attack, chipping in five scores on the season. Keating added four goals, including three game-winners.

The defense was anchored by Stone’s superlative play in net. Stone, the team MVP, held seven opponents to one goal or fewer, including shutouts against Holy Cross, Yale, Brown, and Saint Louis. Her 43 saves and 1.71 goals-against average were both second best in the league against Ivy opponents

Two talented freshmen were the only Crimson players to earn league honors. Dickson was named to the All-Ivy First Team for patrolling Harvard’s midfield, and teammate Georgia McGillivray earned an All-Ivy honorable mention after starting every game on the back line.

“[Dickson and McGillivray] had a huge presence and maturity beyond their years on the field,” Stone said. “It was so fun to be able to see them at the start of what I’m sure will be great careers.”

Although the Crimson dropped its last six contests, it has much to look forward to next season under the leadership of co-captains Kristin Bannon and Elizabeth Goodman-Bacon. Harvard returns several top scorers and a foundation of young talent that the program can build upon.

“There were definitely some bumps in the road, but there were some good high points,” Crimson coach Sue Caples said. “We can learn a lot from this season.”

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