Surging Crimson Offense Scores Four Again in Victory

A number of distractions threatened to derail the Crimson, but Harvard field hockey didn’t bat an eye.

Despite a vocal visiting fan section, some cases of swine flu and soggy conditions, nothing could dampen the Crimson’s home opener as the squad rolled to its third straight victory Saturday afternoon, taking down Bryant, 4-2, at Jordan Field.

“I’m really proud of how the team stepped up and focused despite the weather,” co-captain Kristin Bannon said. “We also didn’t have a lot of subs this game because of injuries, and [a few players] are sick, but we came out focused on our game and everyone did a great job.”

Harvard pressured the Bulldogs (1-3) early and rode a goal and assist each from Bannon and junior Chloe Keating en route to the team’s first 3-0 start since 2005, when the Crimson shut out its first four opponents.

Adding to the difficult circumstances, Bryant fans from Rhode Island vastly outnumbered Harvard supporters in the stands, but it was the Crimson squad that showed energy early, netting a goal less than four minutes into the contest.

Sophomore Allie Kimmel corralled a penalty corner feed from co-captain Kristin Bannon and left the ball for sophomore Georgia McGillivray, who buried Harvard’s first shot of the day from the top of the circle.

The Crimson dominated on offense, outshooting the Bulldogs, 21-7, overall, and netting a 10-2 advantage on penalty corners.

“We have worked on our corners every practice and it’s finally coming together,” Bannon said. “We’re beginning to gel…and it’s paying off. We’re getting a lot of shots on goal.”

Harvard kept the game confined to the Bryant circle for much of the first half, but the Bulldogs managed to pull even on an unassisted goal from Elise Boissoneau.

The forward received a well-timed pass from Alexandra Czerniak and fired a shot past Crimson freshman goalie Cynthia Tassopoulos. Boissoneau’s first attempt hit off the left post, but she buried her own rebound at 25:41 to tie the score at 1.

Although both squads followed with a number of missed chances—at times caused by misfires on the water-logged field—Harvard capitalized on its offensive onslaught, eventually wearing down Bryant goalie Kundayi Mawema.

After Mawema turned away consecutive shots off of a penalty corner, the Crimson got a rebound opportunity of its own. Late in the first half, freshman Emma Keller sent in a shot that the Bulldog goalie kicked away, only to have rookie Katelin Wahl fire the ball back in. Mawema tried to smother the shot, but Harvard players descended on the goal mouth and managed to dislodge the ball. With Mawema on the ground, the ball rolled out to Bannon, who ripped it into the right corner for a 2-1 edge.

With the lead in hand, the Crimson looked to put the Bulldogs away in the second half. To do so, the squad turned to Keating, its emerging star.

After Mawema turned aside consecutive shots from McGillivray and Bannon in the 43rd minute, Keating made use of her quick hands, flipping the loose ball over the Bryant goalie’s shoulder and into the cage for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

“[Keating] has an eye for the net and loves to score,” Bannon said.

With a two-goal cushion, Harvard ate away at the clock, stifling the Bulldogs for over 15 minutes behind the strong play of Tassopoulos.

The rookie net-minder notched three saves and turned aside a number of other opportunities with athletic kick saves as she remained unbeaten as the Crimson goalie.

“[Tassopoulos] has been great,” co-captain Elizabeth Goodman-Bacon said. “Her communication is improving every game, which is critical for our defense and overall organization.”

Despite a disadvantage in shots, Bryant cut the deficit to a goal with 11 minutes remaining. Czerniak set up another scoring chance by feeding Courtney Landi, who buried a shot in the left corner to make it 3-2.

But Harvard did not appear rattled by the threat, as the squad continued to pressure the Bulldogs. Keller redirected a Keating shot from the top of the circle in the closing minutes to push the margin back to two and give the Crimson another decisive victory. In three contests, Harvard has outscored its opponents 12-4.

“These three wins are giving us great momentum,” Goodman-Bacon said. “As the schedule starts to heat up, having wins behind us is crucial.”

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