Co-captain Melanie Baskind, pictured in previous action, led the Crimson to its second league win of the year on Saturday afternoon in New Haven, Conn., as goals by Baskind and sophomore teammate Peyton Johnson provided enough offense to top Yale, 2-1. Harvard sits in a tie for first in the Ivies.
Harvard sophomore Peyton Johnson buried a penalty kick in the 93rd minute to give the Crimson (6-4, 2-0 Ivy) a 2-1 victory at Yale (4-4-2, 1-1) on Saturday.
After a slow start, Harvard picked it up in the second half to tie the game at one.
The Crimson trailed much of the contest after Bulldog freshman forward Meredith Speck netted a 17th-minute goal to give Yale a 1-0 advantage.
The rookie took a cross from junior midfielder Kristin Forster and ripped a left-footed strike from the top of the box past Harvard freshman goalkeeper Bethany Kanten.
“We didn’t bring what Yale brought in the first half,” Crimson coach Ray Leone said.
The Bulldogs exploited the Harvard defense out wide and controlled the tempo in the first half, out-shooting the visiting team, 4-3.
Despite a few chances, Harvard could not find an equalizer in the frame and went into halftime trailing.
“We were disappointed with how we were playing at that point,” co-captain Melanie Baskind said, “but we came out [for the second half] completely reenergized and ready to go.”
The Crimson was knocking on the door from the start of the second half, as sophomore forward Elizabeth Weisman put a shot on target in the 50th minute that was turned away by Yale goalkeeper Adele Jackson-Gibson, who made five saves on the day.
It wasn’t until the 60th minute when Harvard was finally able to break through the Bulldogs’ defense. Baskind tucked home a one-timer near post on a cross delivered by senior Patricia Yau.
“[Yau] brought it up the side and played a perfect ball across the net, and I just barely got in front of my defender to poke it in,” Baskind said.
Neither team broke the tie in regulation, and the score remained knotted at one as the final whistle blew.
But it was a brief overtime period thanks to Johnson, who ended the contest just over two minutes in.
A 92nd-minute corner kick led to a scramble in the box, and Johnson gained possession on the right side. She fired a shot that struck a Yale defender’s hand, automatically drawing a yellow card and penalty kick.
Johnson calmly stepped up to take the penalty kick and drove the ball just past a diving Jackson-Gibson, who guessed correctly on the play but was unable to get a hand on the ball as it flew inside the left post.
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