When the women's soccer team dropped a 2-1 division to Brown October 30 its hopes for an lvy title were dashed. And when Missouri-St. Louis pinned an identical 2-1 loss on the booters Saturday, their national champion ship hopes were also put on hold for another year.
So although yesterday's match-up with Yale meant little in the way to little hopes or standings, the women responded with a 1-0 win, and put their final season record at 7-5-2.
Originally scheduled for November 6, the game was shitted to yesterday after the Yale bus broke down on its way to Cambridge.
The Crimson's only goal came at 30:48 of the first half when a corner shot from senior Debbie Field hit a Yale defender and ricocheted into the Eli goal, just past the outstretched hands of goalie Kobe Dyer.
The Problem
"This way a really tough game for as to play." Harvard Coach Bob Scalise and after wards. "Our season pretty much came to an end when we lost Saturday to Missoury.St. Louise. The girls were pretty disappointed by that loss, but they really responded well."
The game started slowly, however as both teams traded possessions, while neither could muster an impressive assault. Senior striker Kelly Landry brought the Crimson to life, though when her shot at 23 minutes just missed, hitting the top of the Bulldog goal. Harvard kept pressure on the Yale defense throughout the rest of the first half, but only came away with Field's score.
"All I did was make a pretty good kick across and one of them defenders hit it in. Field said of the goal. "Even if they didn't hit it in. We had someone there who would have."
The second half opened just as the first had closed--with the Crimson taking shooting practice on Dyer. With seven shots on goal in the first 45 minutes, the women managed 14 in the second 45.
But Dyer, who finished who the day with 10 stops, made several doing saves and thwarted other Crimson shots to keep Harvard scoreless in the second half.
The Bulldog defense, though posed no problems in the second stanza, managing only one shot on goal.
"Things were pretty even in the first half." Scalise said "We both played pretty ragged. But we opened or up a lot in the second but just couldn't manage to get the ball on the goal."
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