Harvard Wins In Thrilling Fashion

Entering yesterday’s game against No. 15 University of New Hampshire (4-1), the Harvard women’s lacrosse team faced a tall order, looking to defeat its first nationally-ranked opponent of the year. The Crimson was poised to negate last weekend’s loss to Johns Hopkins and improve upon its 1-1 record to open the new season.

But it would take all of regulation play plus two overtime frames for sophomore Melanie Baskind to net the game-winning goal and lead Harvard to a 10-9 victory over UNH in Durham, N.H.

The Crimson fended off the Wildcats for much of the first half, producing a commanding 8-4 lead heading into halftime.  New Hampshire’s offense would claw back, mounting an offensive onslaught against Harvard in the second period, outshooting the Crimson, 13-2.

With less than two minutes left to play in the game, Wildcat Kate Keagins’ goal robbed Harvard of a regulation victory, sending the contest into two overtimes.

Despite controlling the draw to kick off the additional session, the Crimson struggled to get shots on goal, as Harvard appeared on the verge of letting a win narrowly slip away.

“[UNH] is just a really solid team,” co-captain Sara Flood said. “They came out strong in the second half, drew controls their way, and slowed down the game offensively for us.”

But Baskind had quite a different destiny in mind for the Crimson. With only 20 seconds remaining in double overtime and a successful attempt to clear by Harvard, Baskind located the back of the net, allowing the Crimson to pull off a crucial 10-9 thriller on the road.

“[What made the difference was] we played solid defense,” Flood said. “The team has been working on that a lot lately—communicating more and putting in a solid effort. We were also a little more patient on the attack side.”

Although a sophomore, Baskind is playing in her first season on the women’s lacrosse team. A new face on the field, she is no stranger to Harvard sports, as she is also a member of the varsity soccer squad.

“Melanie has stepped into a really big role,” Flood said. “She’s giving it her best every single day. She’s just an amazing athlete and is so coachable.”

The midfielder no doubt showcased her versatility yesterday, racking up a pair of goals and ground balls. Freshman Danielle Tetreault also had two goals, and Flood scored one goal and drew four controls.

Freshman Jennifer VanderMeulen’s five goals tallied for a team-high 11 goals on the season. Senior goalie Katherine Martino had 11 saves on the day.

With the win, the Crimson snapped the Wildcats’ unbeaten streak and leveled their overall record against UNH to 18-18.

Harvard asserted its dominance on the field in spite of the absence of junior attacker Jess Halpern, who is out with an injured knee. Halpern staged her own overtime upset against the Wildcats last season with a goal late in the second frame during what went on to become an 11-9 OT Crimson win at Cumnock Field.

“[Jess’s absence] is a really big loss,” Flood said. “We handled it really well though. Everyone stepped it up on offense to make up for what she does well.”

Harvard will now focus its attention on upcoming Ivy League competition, starting by wrapping up its road trip against No. 3 Penn on Saturday.

“The Ivy League has four top twenty teams,” coach Lisa Miller said before the season. “It’s a tough schedule, but it’s doable. In my mind, of the games you play, a third are always winnable games, a third are fifty-fifty games, and a third are reach games. And then you try to win your conference to get into the tournament. I’m ready for a change, and I’m optimistic and I’m realistic about the timing of things and I think we should make a move. We’ll have even more depth.”