Harvard Fails To Close Gap in Loss to Virginia

For the first time since 1993, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team faced the University of Virgina. But the No. 9 Cavaliers’ (9-5, 2-3 ACC) first trip to Harvard Stadium yesterday didn’t quite go the way the Crimson (4-7, 1-2 Ivy) wanted. UVA pulled ahead early in the first half, 8-3, and despite second-half efforts by Harvard to close the gap, the Crimson came up short in a 13-9 defeat.

“UVA was the second-straight top-10 team to come here and battle with us on our turf,” sophomore Samantha McMahon said. “From the loss to Penn on Saturday, we wanted to come out fast and hard showing that we can compete with the top teams in the country.”

Virginia lived up to its nationally-ranked reputation, notching the first goal of the match within the first few minutes. Harvard responded with a vengeance, scoring the next three, and after fifteen minutes of action, the Crimson led the Cavaliers, 3-1.

Soon after, UVA broke through the Harvard defense to bring the game within a goal. The Crimson continued to fight, winning a draw control and putting direct pressure on the Cavalier defense. After a series of passes, UVA intercepted the ball and sped down the field for an immediate counter and goal to tie the match.

Following the goal, the Cavaliers scored five more times to establish a seven-goal run in the first half. With three seconds left at the end of the period, freshman Harvard goalkeeper Kerry Clark came up big with a clutch save, keeping the game within five points at 8-3.

“Going back into the second half, we sought to fight back no matter what the score may have been,” McMahon said.

At the beginning of the second half, the Cavaliers came out characteristically strong, scoring a goal right away. Clark recovered with a nice save by blocking an eight-meter shot when a foul was committed in Crimson territory, and UVA was awarded free position. But after yet another quick counter by the Cavaliers, Virginia scored another goal.

Despite being down by seven, the Crimson continued to play with the Cavaliers, winning draw controls and working to keep possession of the ball.

“We were down, 10-3, at one point in the second half, and we could have caved in and thrown in the towel,” McMahon said, “but we continued to fight and hustle on the field.”

Harvard senior Kaitlin Martin responded immediately after the goal by putting heavy pressure on UVA’s defense to put the ball in the back of the net. Behind the cage, Martin challenged her opponent one-on-one—rolleing the crease on the left side and faking for a goal to make the score 10-4.

Martin’s goal broke Virginia’s scoring streak and changed the tone of the game, showcasing the resilient talents of the Crimson. Harvard appeared to be re-energized, especially sophomore Jess Halpern, who bounced back from yesterday’s scoreless game against Penn to account for all of the Crimson’s last four tallies.

Not only did Harvard perform on par with UVA in the second half offensively, but the Crimson also signifcantly improved defensively, giving up only three of the 13 goals in the last period.

“I think that when we stayed in structure and stuck to the game plan, we were very successful and were able to score goals,” Halpern said. “Unfortunately, we had a few lapses at the end of first half and the beginning of the second that UVA capitalized on.”

Harvard fought until the end, but ultimately could not overcome the Cavaliers’ early lead.

“The game is 60 minutes and the mental lapses we take at certain points in the game hurt us by putting us in a hole, which is hard to get out of,” McMahon said. “Overall, had we played in structure the whole 60 minutes, then the game would have been much closer and there would be a fight for the winning goal.”