The women's field hockey team crossed the Charles hoping to use a new lineup to beat B.U. for the second year in a row and rebound from last weekend's disappointing loss to Yale. HARVARD  1 BOSTON UNIV.  3

The Crimson (2-5, 1-1 Ivy) faced a Terriers squad armed with added incentive, a chance to give Coach Sally Starr her 200th victory in the program. A close, well-played first half yielded an even 1-1 tally, which B.U. extended late in the second half for a hard-fought 3-1 victory.

B.U. opened the scoring at the 26 minute mark, benefiting from a lucky break. A hard shot from senior Tina McDavitt deflected off a defender's stick and floated over Harvard junior goalkeeper Anya Cowan.

The Crimson recovered quickly, pressing the attack in the wake of misfortune. Its effort paid off a few minutes later with co-captain Judy Collins finding the ball in a goalmouth scrum and then firing it past the B.U. netminder.

The Terriers nearly struck back, with a shot ricocheting off the post only a minute later, but the lucky escape and the mini-comeback gave the Crimson momentum for the rest of the half.

In the second half, the game started to swing as the Terriers familiarity with their turf field and the quickness of their defense started to pay off.

Offensively, B.U.'s talented duo of Jessica Alcosta and leading scorer junior Danielle Decoste used speed to pressure the Harvard defense into a few critical mistakes. The attacks paid off with 19:40 remaining when senior Candice Lilienfeld scored, corraling a loose ball off a corner and lofting it into the top left quadrant of the net for the decider.

The Crimson threatened to tie several times, most notably when Collins got free in the box for a one-on-one chance, but a trail of missed opportunities continued to plague the Crimson.

"We certainly had opportunities throughout the game, and I thought we played a terrific first half which showed what we can do against a good team," Coach Sue Caple said. "We have definitely improved, but we have got to finish better."

The Crimson comeback effort was cut short when McDavitt scored her second goal of the game for the final two goal margin with 1:36 left.

The Crimson's reshuffled its lineup, exchanging junior Katie Schoelworth and co-captain Tara LaSovage in the sweeper and center-mid role. Senior Penny Fairbarn moved from left back to right back. The new configuration seemed to make the right side of the attack flow more smoothly.

The defense turned in a very solid effort, especially considering that the last time the Crimson visited Nickerson Field it was pasted 8-0. Cowan had a typically strong game, while sophomore back Maisa Badawy was assertive, making several strong individual takeaways.

The Crimson will take its new look into its third Ivy league matchup with Penn, this weekend. BOSTON UNIVERSITY, 3-1 at Nickerson Field Harvard  1  0  --  1 B.U.  1  2  --  3

Scoring B.U.--McDavitt 1 (Alcorta, Mele) 26:19. Har--Collins 1 18:52. B.U.--Lilienfeld 1 19:40. B.U.--McDavitt 11:36. Saves: Har--Cowan 10; B.U.--Flanagan 3.