Slumping Harvard Loses Sixth Straight

As the 2005 season moves along, the Harvard field hockey team is finding both goals and wins more hard to come by than ever. On Saturday, the Crimson lost its sixth straight game, falling to rival Yale by a score of 1-0 at Johnson Field in New Haven, Conn.

Harvard dropped to 5-7 (1-3 Ivy) as the Bulldogs improved to 4-8 (1-3) with the win.

The game marked the fourth time the Crimson has been shut out this season. In six of its seven losses, Harvard has scored one goal or less.

“I think we are definitely feeling some pressure,” captain midfielder Jen McDavitt said. “The fact that we haven’t scored much on the year has really put a lot of pressure on us to score, because we have such high expectations of ourselves.”

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the team’s offensive struggles is that it continues to be even or ahead in most offensive statistical categories. Against Yale, the Crimson was barely out-shot, as the Bulldogs held a 10-9 shot advantage.

Yet Harvard had a large margin in penalty corners, excellent opportunities to score, with a 9-3 advantage, including six corners in the first half of play.

“[The offensive struggle] is tough to explain.” McDavitt said, “We are getting into the circle but it’s just a matter of balancing good shots while not waiting for the perfect shot opportunity to come along because it almost never does.”

However, accuracy problems continue to plague the team as it forced Yale goalie Katie Crandall to stop only three of its nine shots.

In the end, the Crimson could not bear the fruits of its hard work on offense as the Bulldogs’ Katie Rivkin deflected a blistering shot past freshman goalie Kelly Knoche. Coming off a penalty corner from Heather Orrico at the 41:28 mark, the goal would prove to be the only tally of the day.

Knoche turned in another solid performance for Harvard, saving four out of five Yale shots on goal.

Harvard returns to action with a trip to Chestnut Hill to face local rival No. 16 Boston College on Wednesday at 7 pm.

The last five games will serve as a prime opportunity for the Crimson to finish the season strong, with three out of its final five games at Jordan Field. Three out of the final five are also against Ivy opponents, giving the team an opportunity to send a message to the rest of the league that the team will not lie down for anyone.

“It’s all about figuring out where we go from here,” McDavitt said. “I can’t really explain why we’ve struggled because I know we have a good team. We’re going to make a statement over the last five games to prove that this team, even in a tough year, has a great deal of character in it.”