Field Hockey Stuns No. 15 Eagles After Penalty Stroke Marathon

Its fortunes dwindling late in the game, the Harvard field hockey team needed a spark.

Boston College, ranked 15th in the nation, led Harvard 2-1 in the second half. The two-game Crimson losing streak threatened to extend itself to three, miring the team further into a slump.

Enter freshman Kate Nagle.

Nagle, who had scored her first career goal earlier in the game, now tallied her second to propel the Crimson into overtime and, eventually, to a 3-2 win.

"We kind of just needed that," said junior Judy Collins. "[Kate's second goal] was the key point of the game."

However, Harvard needed to take a few more twists on an already-arduous road to victory.

After neither team scored in the two periods of overtime, the game went into penalty strokes.

After the first round of shots, the teams were still deadlocked.

In the second round, though, the Crimson captured the win.

"Going into double overtime is always really tiring," said junior Penny Fairbairn. "You have to be very cautious with passes. You don't want to tire yourself out and end up chasing the ball. It's a drain on your legs."

In the two rounds of strokes, sophomore Anya Cowan confounded the Eagles in net.

"Anya was unbelievable," Collins said. "She made some great saves."

The heroics of Nagle and Cowan saved the day for a Crimson team that struggled early in the game.

"Our spark was not there," Collins said. "For the whole game, we were not focused. We were chasing the ball, playing bad defense, and not executing the simple things."

Coupled with the caliber of the opponent, this made matters difficult.

"B.C. was skilled, strong, and fast," Fairbairn said. "We had to work hard to contend with them."

The Eagles used their team speed to stake their lead. The team's strategy was to hit the ball upfield and send a player to chase it.

"They just hit it through us," Collins said. "They were really fast and used big balls really well."

However, Harvard managed to exploit several B.C. mistakes and apply some pressure.

One mistake by the Eagles proved especially costly. The B.C. goalie cleared a shot back up the middle, setting up a one-on-one that resulted in Nagle's first goal.

Despite the crucial role her goals played, Nagle downplayed her accomplishments.

"The overtime was what really counted," Nagle said.

Now, a challenge even bigger than the Eagles looms on the horizon. Fifth-ranked Princeton, the quintessential Crimson nemesis, travels to Cumnock Field on Saturday.

"The Crimson enjoys an edge, however. The Tigers will play on grass, rather than their customary astroturf.

Collins expects an even game.

"I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind that there's going to be a close game," Collins said.

Harvard also derives momentum from last year, when Princeton romped, 5-1.

"We want to get revenge," Collins said.

Hopefully, playing four solid opponents in its last four games has prepared the Crimson for Saturday's game.

"Having won against a ranked team psyches us up," Fairbairn said. "We played well [yesterday], but we can play better. Princeton is a big day, and we have to come out strong."

The Crimson has stayed close in its last four games. Harvard hopes Saturday will bring the payoff. B.C.  2 HARVARD  3