Northwestern
Harvard
Wildcats Fall to No. 17 Harvard, 2-1
10/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 1, 2004
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Northwestern scored first but could not finish off the resilient Crimson, dropping a 2-1 decision to No. 17 Harvard Friday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Following a first half that saw both teams combine for only six shots, the Wildcats' Candice Cooper (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) caged her 12th goal of the season in the 45th minute to give Northwestern a 1-0 lead.
NU (6-5) was unable to sustain that lead, however, surrendering two goals in the final 10 minutes of play. The first came on a penalty corner in the 60th minute and was followed up later by a rebound score in the 66th.
"We did not come to play for the full 70 minutes today," Northwestern head coach Kelly McCollum said. "We did not create enough scoring opportunities or play to our level of hockey."
The late loss is uncharacteristic of the 'Cats, who have outscored opponents 13-7 in the second half this season. The loss also marks the first time this season NU has given up a lead in the second half.
The Wildcats have come from behind in three of their six wins.
Harvard (6-2) outshot the Wildcats 15-9 in the match. The Crimson finished with four saves in the game, but two of those were made by the defense. NU goalkeeper Sherri-Anne Nyberg (Kelowna, British Columbia/Kelowna Secondary) had six saves.
Northwestern returns to action tomorrow, Oct. 2, with a noon Big Ten match against No. 7 Michigan.
