On the heels of its first nonconference loss of the season to San Diego State, the women’s lacrosse team is gearing up to face Harvard Saturday and attempt to collect its first Ivy victory. Harvard sits fourth in the Ivy standings with wins over Dartmouth and Columbia, while Bruno sits in the cellar. Only the top four teams qualify for the Ivy tournament, so without a win soon, the Bears’ attempt to qualify for the first time in 17 years may fall flat.
The Crimson (4-4, 2-1 Ivy) boasts a top scorer in Marisa Romeo, whose 25 goals are fourth in the league. Audrey Todd and Julia Glynn have each recorded 20 points on the season, helping power some of Harvard’s relatively high-scoring games.
Most recently, the Crimson eked out a 9-8 victory over Dartmouth (0-9, 0-3) in which Todd netted a hat trick with three goals in a span of seven minutes. But Harvard suffered in the second half after leading by four during halftime. This recent shaky play mirrors the inconsistencies that have plagued the Bears this season.
Bruno (5-4, 0-3) has floundered in Ivy matchups, allowing opponents to outpace its offense and racking up insurmountable deficits, despite a number of late offensive surges. The Bears have cited their inability to finish games strong as a catalyst for their conference free fall.
In their first Ivy contest against Penn (9-1, 3-0), the Bears entered the second half down by five and ultimately narrowly lost by two. The Bears were outscored by six in the first half against Cornell (8-2, 3-0) last weekend, and a second-half rally could not lift them out of that hole.
Bruno’s most recent loss to San Diego State featured a role reversal — the Bears held an 11-6 lead with nine minutes left in play, but they squandered it by allowing seven goals before the final buzzer. Contrary to the Bears’ attempted comeback patterns this season, the Aztecs’ surge was successful in sealing the victory, with the winning goal scored a mere five seconds before the end of regulation.
Bruno’s 88 goals on the season match up well with Harvard’s 90, though the Bears have played one more game than their rivals. Accordingly, the Crimson averages about a goal-and-a-half more per game than the Bears, but the teams have achieved exactly the same percentage of successful shots.
Statistically, the two squads seem poised to play a competitive game, though their vastly different records seem to suggest otherwise. It’s important to note, however, that out of Bruno’s three opponents thus far, Penn and Cornell still possess undefeated conference records. Halfway through their Ivy season, the Bears are under pressure to capture a win.
With Harvard as Bruno’s midpoint, the question now is: will the matchup be the turning point?
The teams face off Saturday at noon at Stevenson Field.
