For the third time this year, Harvard had to contend with artificial turf--with mixed results.
"I like the turf," Katsias said. "The ball doesn't bounce so much and it doesn't get stuck in places."
But what was good for the goalie wasn't good for the goal-scorers.
Harvard's offense--brilliant in spots--often sputtered because of the slick carpet. Crimson passes frequently flew past their targets by 10 feet or more.
"If you don't play on it [artificial turf] all the time, you're at a disadvantage," Lamborghini said.
Despite the unfamiliar turf, Harvard had several scoring opportunities.
With the second half just underway, Crimson wing Cindi Ersek took a pass from Jane Grim and drove toward the Bruin net. She was stopped illegally--setting up a penalty corner.
Groome's blast off the corner pass flew just right of the Brown goal.
Forward Kate Felsen and sophomore Nicole Simourian--playing in only her second varsity game--smacked shots with five minutes left in regulation that the Brown netminder skillfully blocked.
With a minute-and-a-half remaining in double overtime, Co-Captain Kelly--who had knocked in a similar shot in the Crimson's 1-1 deadlock with 16th-ranked Boston College Tuesday--took a corner pass and blasted a rocket that smacked off the pads of the Bruin goalie, ending Harvard's last scoring threat.
With the Ivy League title out of reach, the Crimson closes out its season against 11th-ranked Boston University Tuesday and Yale Saturday.
"I really want to finish strong," Lamborghini said. "We've come so far this season."
THE NOTEBOOK: The Harvard JV team beat Brown, 1-0, on Julie Cohen's first-half goal...In the varsity game, two balls flew through the protective nets that surround the rooftop and into the parking lot five stories below...In the JV game, a ball slid into a drain pipe and also wound up in the parking lot...Midfielder Sharon Kosakowski played in both games...Harvard is 1-0-2 in games that have gone into double overtime and 1-1-1 on artificial turf......Harvard's final two games are on the road.