And with just 1:10 left in the contest, UConn made a final move to get on the board.
Sophomore forward Lacey Toups took possession near the left corner of the Crimson box and made a quick move toward the center of the field. Toups created some daylight and drilled a low shot toward the left corner of the net. But just as the ball neared the goal, freshman goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther dove to her right to make the save--her fifth on the day--securing the victory for Harvard.
Despite her inexperience Gunther's play yesterday was not surprising, as she has shone throughout her rookie season. Entering the game the freshman was ranked first in the Ivy League and second in the nation in goals against average with a sensational 0.42.
"[Gunther] is just a fantastic [goalkeeper]," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said. "She has really come up big this year without seeing much action. I knew she would be fine, but I thought it would take her a bit longer to get this good."
Harvard's winning score came on the heels of a sustained period of UConn offensive control. The Huskies maintained possession of the ball and applied much pressure to the Crimson backfield, and it seemed as if the momentum was set in UConn's favor.
Then with 14 minutes left in the game, Toups--who had just been inserted into the game--ripped a booming kick toward the Harvard goal. The shot was not to be, however, as the ball slammed into the upper right corner of the post and careened out of the Crimson zone.
Having just narrowly averted disaster, the Crimson seemed to come alive after Toups' near-miss, as it began to apply the pressure that would lead to the game-winner.
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