In the early 1990s, Nike aired advertisements in which Michael Jordan would breeze past flustered opponents. Awed spectators would watch him and attempt to explain his artistry by saying, "It's gotta be the shoes."

With His Airness finally in retirement, the most important Jordan in the world of sport--or at least Harvard sports--is now Jordan Field, the $3.3 million artificially surfaced home of the Harvard field hockey team that was unveiled last year. How vital is it to the nationally ranked Crimson's ability to breeze past its competition?

Put simply, it's gotta be the turf.

The Crimson (2-0) enters the 2000 season with a year on its new field under its belt and another promising year on the horizon. Last year's 12-7 campaign produced its share of disappointments. The team lost several very close games to teams that they had the ability to beat, including a late-season 3-2 loss to Princeton that essentially erased any chance of winning the Ivy League Championship.

The Ancient Eight title would have given the Crimson an automatic NCAA berth.

However, 1999 also gave the team a glimpse of its own potential. The Crimson narrowly lost to then-top-ranked UConn, 2-1, and proved that it could play with virtually anyone in the sport.

"Our overall level of play has improved and the bar has been raised," said Coach Sue Caples. "This team expects to win. In recent years, I was always hopeful and optimistic about our chances. This year we have tremendous talent and 16 women who can compete as a team at a high level."

With that potential having been partially realized, the team enters the season with consistent Top 20 status and an outright Ivy Championship in mind. Seniors Kate Nagle and co-captains Liz Sarles and Maisa Badawy will lead the Crimson's attack. Badawy will orchestrate the offense from left midfield, a position where she led the team with nine assists last year and earned Second Team All-Ivy honors.

The speedy Nagle, who scored nine goals last year to lead the Crimson, will be counted on for more of the same.

Junior Jane Park and sophomore Philomena Gambale will see significantly more action than they did last year and complete the front line.

Sarles anchors Harvard's highly touted defense, which should continue to shine despite the loss of three-time All-Ivy selection Katie Schoolwerth '00. A number of juniors will get the opportunity to contribute to the Crimson's stifling defensive unit, including Natalia Berry, Sarah Luskin, Katie Turck and Eliza Dick.

"We have juniors that did not see a lot of time last year but are already showing that they are worthy of a starting role," Sarles said. "We are very much going to depend on their various strengths, especially with the loss of some key players to graduation."

Those key players include Schoolwerth and goalkeeper Anya Cowan '00, another First Team All-Ivy selection. Cowan's replacement warrants particular attention: Katie Zacarian, who shut out Vermont in her debut last Friday, steps into Cowan's big shoes as a freshman.

"Goalie is the most important position on the field," Caples said. "Katie Zacarian is a very talented athlete, who has national team experience. We are thrilled that she is playing for Harvard."

Zacarian's ability will be tested on a surface that should further Harvard's prospects this year. Most of the country's better Division I programs are moving away from grass fields, as turf tends to create a faster-paced game.

Jordan's renovation has made the game much cleaner and, in the opinion of most of the players, has elevated the team's skills.

"Having Jordan Field, we are a turf team now," said Nagle. "Field hockey is meant to be played on turf--the surface is true and fast, which increases both speed of thought as well as the game in general."

With another year of Jordan behind it, Harvard should continue its current clip of ECAC championship appearances--it has appeared in three of the past four--and will look to make its first NCAA appearance since Caples took the team to its first-ever appearance in 1991.