Field Hockey Preps for Bucknell

In the conclusion of a busy week of field hockey, where Harvard (3-7, 1-2 Ivy) will have played four games in eight days, the Crimson is set to face off against Bucknell (6-6, 1-0 Patriot) Sunday afternoon at Jordan Field.

Coming off of a 4-1 loss to No. 8 Northeastern on Wednesday, in which Harvard trailed 4-0 at the half but came back to outshoot the Huskies in the game overall with a strong second period, the Crimson will look to carry the second half’s momentum into the weekend.

“I think the second half should be a focus point for our game on Sunday,” Harvard coach Tjerk van Herwaarden said. “If we play like we did in the second half then we should be able to compete really well with Bucknell. We’ll keep the pace high, we’ll keep attacking very quickly and we’ll be able to make the adjustments for the competition in practice.”

Though the Crimson has been slow out of the gate recently, the Bison have also been prone to weak first halves, especially relative to their second half performances. Overall, Bucknell has outscored its competition just 12-10 in the first half but 20-12 in the second.

Bison junior goalie Erica Perrine has led Bucknell’s defense, coming up with most of the Bison’s 41 saves in second half—compared to just 28 in the first—alongside a 2.10 goals against average and .716 save percentage.

Looking to beat the Bucknell defense will be Harvard sophomores Noel Painter and Caitlin Rea, who lead the team in goals and assists, respectively. Painter also leads the team in points with 10 (four goals and two assists).

The Bison offense is led by senior Tayler Siegrist and junior Rachel Misko, who have seven and five goals each, respectively.

Co-captain Cynthia Tassopoulos has played the majority of games in net thus far for the Crimson, recording two shutouts and a 1.96 goals against average along with a .787 save percentage.

—Staff writer David A. Mazza can be reached at damazza@college.harvard.edu