The Crimson stickwomen saw their three game winning streak go up in smoke yesterday afternoon as the perennially tough University of New Hampshire Wildcats outscored them, 13-6, to remain undefeated this season.
The Wildcats notched the first goal of the game when right defense wing Janet Cope took a pass from co-captain Kathy Sanborn, then wheeled and faked past Crimson defender Cynthia Jensen, before firing it in for a tally. Moments later, Sanborn pushed through the Crimson defense alone and scored the second Wildcat goal.
Early Onslaught
The visitors scored once again before the Harvard team could get on the scoreboard.
First home, Lisa Kent fed the ball to Sue St. Louis, who whipped it in for a goal. But that was all the damage the Crimson could do in the first half as New Hampshire's All-New England goalie, Suzanne Rousseau, stopped everything that came her way.
Penetrating the Crimson defense at will, the Wildcats easily tossed in five more goals before the whistle and cruised into halftime with an 8-1 lead.
The Crimson started the second half with a bang, as St. Louis snagged a pass from Julie Cornman at center and ran towards the goal, edged past the Wildcat defensemen and notched her second goal. A few minutes later, Cornman quick-sticked the ball for another Crimson tally with the assist going to Kent.
No Catching Up
Despite the efforts of St. Louis and Kent who popped in two goals midway through the second half, the Wildcats quickly put the game out of reach. The Harvard defense, usually a dominant factor, did not have the speed it needed to keep up with the visitors' awesome fastbreak. Sanborn proved to be the key scorer factor with five goals. "They beat us on the give and go," defensive ace Chris Sailer said.
"Kathy Sanborn will hurt you either way," coach Carole Kleinfelder said yesterday." Kleinfelder added. "I have great respect for her playing ability."
Goalie Charlotte Worsley chalked up seven saves and kept the laxwomen from embarrassment. But the rest of the Harvard defense never had a chance. Every call seemed to go against the Crimson, who had no choice but to curb their normally aggressive play or pay the price. The New Hampshire team seized the opportunity to get in some vicious stick-checking, catching both Sailer and Stef Baum in the head.
"They had an overload of defensive players on us and we had a lot of trouble guarding the extra players downfield," Cornman said yesterday.
The Crimson will journey to Princeton this weekend, where they hope to get back on the right track with a win against the Tigers.
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