Stickwomen Hit Rock Bottom Against Green

After the Harvard field hockey team lost to Dartmouth Saturday, 1-0 in overtime at Cumnock Field, the faces of the Crimson players and coaches showed something more than the usual signs of a disappointing defeat.

Their expressions told the whole story of this season's emotional turmoil.

When Big Green freshman Sarah Devens scored seven minutes into overtime to end the contest, a strange mixture of shock and resignation came over Harvard's coldly silent faces. The team, it seemed, had finally yielded to the pressure of this season and had traded its disbelief for acceptance.

What they had to accept was far from comforting.

The defeat drops Harvard to 3-9-2 overall, and more painfully, pulls the Crimson down to last place in the Ancient Eight, tied with Cornell at 1-4-2 in the Ivy League.

This last place finish comes just one year after Harvard claimed a share of the Ivy title and received an NCAA tournament bid.

And Saturday's loss was the most frustrating moment this season.

In the last half of the second period, Harvard pinned Dartmouth in its end of the field and forced a string of six penalty corners.

But Harvard was like a blind-man playing darts. The Crimson just couldn't hit its target.

Instead, Harvard saw its passes cross right in front of Dartmouth goalie Lauren Demski (nine saves) without a single one going in.

"We've got to work harder on finishing things off," Harvard Coach Sue Caples said. "We weren't playing confidently.

It's got to come from within, and I don't feel that we had it in us. [Dartmouth] had the desire and outplayed us in the mental aspects of the game."

Although Harvard dominated possession, keeping the ball trapped in the Dartmouth end, the Big Green had the luck of the Irish, getting all the breaks. Or at least one break in particular.

The Crimson failed to convert on a penalty corner, and Dartmouth cleared the ball. The ensuing fast break reached Harvard's circle. The Big Green then forced a penalty corner and Devens did what Harvard could not do all day: she poked in a rebound for a score to end the game.

After the goal, no Crimson player said a word. All they did was listen. To the gleeful shouts of the Big Green and and to that sickly sound no team ever wants to hear--the sound of defeat.

DARTMOUTH, 1-0 OT at Cumnock Field Dartmouth  0  0  1  --  1 Harvard  0  0  0  --  0

G: Dartmouth--Sarah Devens; Harvard--None. A: Dartmouth--None; Harvard--None. S: Dartmouth--Lauren Demski 9; Harvard--Jessica Mihollin 13.