Princeton Sends W. Lax to .500

The Crimson faced its worst enemy Saturday. Halftime.

Harvard (4-4, 2-2 Ivy) pulled another vanishing act in the final 30 minutes as No. 2 Princeton (11-1, 4-0) outscored the Crimson 8-1 in the second half en route to a comfortable 15-6 victory Saturday.

The game, however, was not as lopsided as the final score indicated.

"We played really well in the first half," freshman Sara Burg said. "We know what we're capable off, and overall we aren't really discouraged with the loss."

With a pair of goals from junior co-captain Alli Harper, Harvard jumped out to a 3-0 lead just 3:36 into the match.

Freshman attacker Jamie Hagerman scored with 3:24 remaining in the half to bring the Crimson to within one, 6-5, and Harvard went into the half down, 7-5.

"The first half was definitely a confidence builder," Burg said. "In the first five minutes of the game, we played incredibly well and that's something we can build on."

Hagerman's goal, unfortunately for the Crimson, was the last Harvard would score for another 23 minutes.

Princeton went on an 8-0 run, scoring four goals in the first 2:41 of the second half to seal the victory.

"When Princeton started to score, we lost a lot of confidence," Burg said. "Things just went downhill from there."

Freshman goaltender Nora Guyer kept Harvard in the game through the first half, stopping 22 shots.

Guyer's magic was not enough, however, as the Tigers outshot the Crimson, 37-12.

Princeton junior Julie Shaner and sophomore Kim Smith scored four apiece, and co-captain Hilary Maddox added a pair.

Maddox's proficiency on draws and the Tigers' height advantage were crucial as Princeton dominated control of the faceoffs.

"Draws are always key," Burg said. "They start off every attack. Princeton had a very tall team and was able to get most of the draws. When we were playing well, however, we were getting the draws. It's that important."

The Tigers used their advantage on draws to score several quick back-to-back goals, demoralizing the Crimson.

Shaner and freshman Whitney Miller scored a pair nine seconds apart, sophomore Mini Hammerberg and Shaner connected 11 seconds apart, and Smith scored nine seconds into the final half off a draw won by Maddox and quickly carried downfield by Miller.

"It's especially frustrating for the offense, but it's hard for everyone," Burg said. "If your playing well on attack, and then the next time you see the ball the other teams scored a bunch of quick goals, it's hard because it is a whole new game. You just can't worry about it during the game."

Smith's score to open the second half and sophomore Charlotte Kenworthy's goal 35 seconds later put Princeton up 9-5 and buried the Crimson's upset hopes.

After Hammerberg and Shaner's pair less than three minutes after halftime, Harvard called a timeout and Guyer rediscovered her spectacular form, holding the Tigers scoreless for the next 11 minutes and limiting the damage for the rest of the game.

"The only way to stop that sort of run is to relax," Burg said. "The timeout helped and gave us time to refocus. While it's happening though, it's hard to stop. It's similar to what happened when we lost to [No. 1] Maryland."

Trailing 11-5 at that point, however, the Crimson could not find the scoring touch to comeback against the Tigers, who have allowed an average of just over six goals per game.

Earlier in the game, Harvard looked like it was ready to pull off an upset.

Harper scored a pair a minute apart, and freshman Leslie Moroz added another 30 seconds later with Burg picking up two assist, as Harvard took a 3-0 lead just 3:36 after the opening whistle.

"We were successful early in the game because our transition was great," Burg said. "People were moving quickly, the pace was fast, we were aggressive and very confident."

The Tigers wasted little time coming back, however, as Smith scored nine seconds later on a faceoff win by Maddox, assisted by Miller

Less than a minute later, Maddox followed up with goal of her own to bring the Tigers to within one before Kenworthy tied the game, 3-3.

Kenworthy's goal was Princeton's third goal in a span of 1:33 as the Tigers and Crimson combined for an exciting opening with six goals in the first five minutes.

The Tigers' sticks would stay hot, however, and the Crimson's would not.

Princeton pocketed another pair to take a 5-3 lead before Harvard freshman Katie O'Brien stopped the Tigers' 5-0 run with a goal of her own 12:25 into the game.

Down by only two at halftime, however, the Crimson played a strong first half and could just as easily have been leading by two after 30 minutes.

After halftime was another story.

The second half has become a liability for the Crimson, who have not outscored an opponent in the final half since a 7-6 victory over UMass in the season opener, a streak of seven consecutive games.

"The second half is becoming a bit of a larger concern," Burg said. "We haven't talked about it yet because we've been able to pull out the wins against teams like Brown despite the problem."

Facing No. 10 Boston University two weeks ago, the story was similar to Saturday.

Harvard jumped out to an early 2-1 lead and trailed by only two at halftime.

B.U. responded with eight unanswered goals in the second half, however, to defeat the Crimson 12-2.

Facing former No. 10 Yale the same week, Harvard allowed a 4-3 halftime lead to evaporate, falling to the Bulldogs, 7-6, on a game-winning goal in the final minute.

Against Princeton, Harvard played well in the second half, but conditioning was a factor.

"Fatigue was a problem on Saturday," Burg said. "It was a hot day and there was a lot of running up and down the field throughout the game."

The Tigers' goaltending was stronger in the final 30 minutes as well, and Princeton capitalized on more of its opportunities with quick goals off faceoffs.

"In the first half, we played like we should," Burg said. "I think the problem in the second half is mental. It's hard to maintain focus for the whole game, and are goal must be to play for a full 60 minutes."

Facing B.U., Yale, and Princeton, Harvard played step-for-step through the first half with three of the Top 10 teams in the country, an incredible accomplishment for an unranked team.

Nevertheless, the Crimson must find a way to play that way in the second half as well if they hope to upset No. 9 Dartmouth this Wednesday.

"We are optimistic about the game with Dartmouth," Burg said. "We've seen what we can do and we've had glimpses of greatness."