PROVIDENCE, R.I.--It started raining five minutes into the first overtime.

And for the Harvard field hockey team--battling Brown in a scoreless deadlock on the artificial surface of Warner Field on the roof of the Olney Athletic Center--perhaps the rain wasn't a bad thing. After all, the Crimson had crushed Dartmouth, 2-0, in a downpour two weeks ago.

But neither rain nor a stellar performance from its defense could lift the Crimson over the Bruins Saturday in front of 50 shivering spectators.

After 90 frustrating minutes of play, the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

"It wasn't one of our best games," Crimson Coach Nita Lamborghini said.

The scoreless knot knocked Harvard (3-7-3 overall, 2-2-1 Ivy) out of the race for the Ancient Eight title. Brown (4-8-2 overall, 2-2-1 Ivy) had been eliminated from contention a week ago.

Penn clinched its third Ivy League title and its second in three years by defeating Dartmouth on Saturday, 3-0.

Heroes of Zero

As in most of its contests, the Harvard defense held fast Saturday but the offense--despite a gallant effort--could put nothing on the board.

Led by defender Anne Kelly, midfielder Leelee Groome and goalie Denise Katsias, the defense turned in a typically fine performance.

Although giving up 14 shots, the Cantabs allowed only four penalty corners and frustrated the Bruin attack with half-field clearing passes.

Brown forward Lauren Becker--whose four goals coming into Saturday's contest were only five less than what the Crimson had netted all year--was shut down.

Only Bruin wing Kelly Shannon--whose breakaways gave the home team good field position throughout the game--could muster an effective attack.

Katsias (six saves on the afternoon) recorded her fourth shutout of the year and her third in Ivy League play.

"It was one of my better games," the freshman netminder said.