Crimson Stays Sharp at Home

The Crimson (8-3-1) kept a tight defensive hold and hustled its offense towards two goals, beating Vermont (1-11-1) in the final non-league matchup of the season in yesterday afternoon’s game at Ohiri Field.

Freshman Katherine Sheeleigh scored her sixth goal of the season early in the second half after junior midfielder Erin Wylie made her season scoring debut, sneaking a low-corner goal past Catamounts sophomore goalkeeper Eliza Bradley.

Though Harvard has been plagued by repeated late starts (putting points on the board only in the second half in seven out of nine wins), yesterday’s first half was a battle between the Crimson offense and Vermont defense.

Even though the two goals came early in the second period, Harvard pelted Bradley with 17 first-half shots, compared to only three for the Catamounts.

A stronger defense, however, proved to hinder the Crimson’s ability to rack up more points.

Last week at Cornell, Harvard’s flat-footed beginning left the score 0-0 at halftime, only to have the Crimson fight back 10 minutes into the second half with co-captain Megan Merritt’s game-winning goal.

“We played very well [this afternoon] right from the opening whistle,” coach Ray Leone said. “They were much more focused and sharper [than at Cornell]; sometimes you can play great and not have a goal.”

Eight minutes into the second half, with her third consecutive assist of the season, freshman Kerry Kartsonis gave a throw-in past a Catamount defender, giving Wylie the advantage to steal a shot at Vermont’s Bradley.

“I was going to cross it right in, and the ball hit the goalie’s toe and it went in,” Wylie said.

The goal marks Wylie’s progress throughout this season in better footwork and having the confidence to make more attempts.

“She’s been taking a lot of good shots, and has the desire to score,” Leone said. “It is a very good performance for her today.”

Continuing a strong bout on the Catamounts, Merritt kicked the ball into open space past Vermont’s defenders to assist Sheeleigh 15 minutes later.

The rookie raced in for the kill, propelling a clear goal that was carrying too much momentum to be stopped by the goalkeeper’s outstretched hand.

The latter half of the match boasted several close shots with sophomore Kelcey Harrison’s kick that grazed the upper left post, missing the net by a narrow margin. Merritt also had an attempt that hit the crossbar and rolled behind the net a few minutes before the game ended.

“I am trying to turn and go at the goal and shoot more,” Merritt said. “Good things happen when you shoot.”

Harvard’s sophomore goalkeeper, Lauren Mann, recorded her eighth shutout of the season overall, but lack of a strong Vermont offense and another impressive performance by Crimson defenders junior Nicole Rhodes and sophomore Kelli Okuji acted as assets to the victory.

The game was a successful close-out on the non-league season and acts as a confidence booster for the collective dynamic of the team, giving a solid forecast for the bulk of conference play that is yet to come.

“We need to just keep playing and make sure we are fresh,” Leone said. “They are not caught up in who scores, they are just playing.”

“Whoever is in the position to score, scores.”