Coming off its first-ever Ivy League championship season, the Harvard field hockey team showed no signs of letting up Saturday afternoon.

Despite the absence of key players--Lisa Yadao missed Saturday's action because of the MCAT's and Kristin Fowler sat out because of a leg injury--the young Crimson squad pulled together to defeat the University of Rhode Island, 2-0, in its season opener.

And while the game may not have been as pretty as the stickwomen wanted it to be, they got the job done when it counted.

With Yadao out, sophomore Christine Vogt played admirably between the pipes. Vogt, who had never played in a varsity game before Saturday, staved off an aggressive URI attack to record the shut out.

Harvard, however, did struggle somewhat on the offensive end. Communication problems and hesitant play kept the Crimson from putting URI away for good.

"It was our first game, and I think it looked like our first game," senior Becky Gaffney said. "We weren't moving to the ball. We needed to get more aggressive. We definitely improved in the second half."

In the first half, URI blitzed onto the field, putting Harvard on the defensive. Harvard--which plays a settled, possession-oriented game--was forced to adjust to URI's frenzied, hacking style of play.

But the Crimson quickly rose to the occasion, settling the ball and controlling it in the midfield. Harvard drew first blood when Gaffney drove in the ball off a shot from the top of the circle by Co-Captain Ceci Clark.

"It took us time to adjust to [URI's] less skillful game," senior Loren Ambinder said. "We held onto the ball too much during the first half."

In the second half, Harvard streamlined its game, communicating more effectively and passing with greater efficiency. The Crimson also tallied for the second time, when Rachel Burke and 1990 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Francie Walton connected off a corner shot.

"I think we were working pretty well by the end of the game," Gaffney said. "This will definitely serve as a stepping stone. We know we can't come out as slow in the first five minutes. We can't be put on the defensive."

With this first win under its belt, the youthful Crimson squad must now continue to work on team-play if it hopes to repeat as league champions.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard continues its four-game road series on Wednesday, when the stickwomen challenge the Northeastern Huskies at 3:30 p.m.