CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 13 Harvard Field Hockey ( 9-3, 4-0 Ivy) defeated No. 14 Saint Joseph's in a tight matchup at Berylson Field on Sunday. Captain
Emily Guckian scored the lone goal for the Crimson while sophomore
Tessa Shahbo shut the door for her third shutout of the year.
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS
Reigning Ivy offensive player of the week,
Avery Donahue had a fantastic opportunity early in the first quarter after she fired a shot that was deflected just wide by
Kate Oliver.
Tessa Shahbo got her first save on her first shot off a Hawks corner attempt. The sophomore laid out and was able to swat away the first chance for Saint Joseph's. Harvard stopped both corner attempts in the first quarter.
Both teams played very conservatively in the first half as neither team was able to sustain pressure in the offensive zone. Any test from the Hawks was met by Tessa Shabho who answered the call early in the game between the two nationally-ranked opponents.
Kitty Chapple and the Crimson defense were able to block another Hawks corner attempt and protect the net from multiple chances in the second quarter.
Kate Oliver just missed scoring the first goal of the game after her deflection didn't have enough to get past the Hawks netminder. The look from Oliver helped kickstart the Crimson offense who had a trio of great looks to break the game open. Harvard was unable to convert on three consecutive corner attempts but started to generate momentum in the offensive zone.
As the first half winded down,
Tessa Shahbo came way out of her net and had a flying stop to break up a great look from the Hawks. Shahbo finished the half with three saves while facing eight shot attempts.
At the end of the third quarter, Guckian scored to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead. Guckian, who has been on a tear in recent weeks – worked her way towards the cage and pulled off a diving shot to score the first goal of the game.
The Crimson defense was able to overcome a penalty and the extra attacker late in the fourth quarter to hang on and defeat No. 14 Saint Joseph's. The win over the Hawks is the third-ranked win of the season for the Crimson.
NEXT UP
Harvard heads to Princeton for a highly anticipated matchup with the Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 14.
