The women's soccer team (5-5-4, 1-2-1) looked closely matched with Harvard (7-3-3, 3-1-0) throughout most of Saturday's game, but Brown's inability to capitalize on offense in addition to a couple of defensive errors put the team in an early hole from which it could never climb out. Despite a strong effort from the Bears, the Crimson emerged with a 3-0 win.
Entering Saturday's game, Bruno held a three-game unbeaten streak and was hoping to carry momentum from a 5-0 win over Sacred Heart. Harvard, meanwhile, was 2-1-0 in the Ivy League, making this a statement game if either team hoped to hang on with Princeton, Penn and Columbia as Ivy League championship contenders.
Brown maintained possession of the ball for the first 15 minutes of Saturday's game, taking four unsuccessful shots in that time, three of which were fired by tri-captain Lindsay Cunningham '09.
While the majority of the action took place near the Harvard goal, it was the Crimson who scored first, just a minute after tri-captain goalkeeper Brenna Hogue '10 was run into inside the penalty box. At the 17:42 mark, Brown's defense tried to clear the ball up the left flank, but a Harvard player intercepted it and lofted the ball into the net, scoring on Harvard's first shot of the game.
"There was a good portion of the game that we controlled," Head Coach Phil Pincince said. "We had some individually okay play, but I don't think we ever found fifth gear."
The Bears appeared to have tied the game late in the first half, only to have the goal negated by a foul call against Brown. Not having heard the referee's whistle prior to the goal, the crowd erupted when Bridget Ballard '10 headed the Bears' corner kick past the Harvard goalkeeper. Frustration amongst the crowd resulted and continued throughout much of the game.
The Crimson carried a 1-0 lead over the Bears into halftime, but a much more even game ensued after the teams took the field for the second half. Both teams attempted 12 shots, and both goalkeepers managed three saves. Brown had several near misses throughout the half, the first of which came when Joyce Chun '11 nearly tied the game in the 67th minute. Her shot from 20 yards out soared just high of the goal, as did most of Brown's subsequent attempts.
"I don't think we did anything wrong today," tri-captain Jamie Mize '09 said. She did, however, note a lack of "focus and intensity," saying those aspects are "key to us winning."
"We didn't pick it up like we should have in the second half," Marybeth Lesbirel '12 said.
Less than two minutes after Chun's attempt, Harvard was given a direct kick from 25 yards out that soared to the far, upper corner of the goal above an outstretched Hogue's reach.
With the score at 2-0 and only 20 minutes remaining, the Bears were clearly pressing to score. With Brown pushing upfield, the Crimson goalkeeper had to make key saves off shots by Cunningham and Lesbirel.
The nail in the coffin came when Harvard midfielder, and leading scorer, Melanie Baskind netted another ball, increasing the score to an insurmountable 3-0 Harvard lead.
"This was not a 3-0 game," Pincince said, referring to the teams' relatively even play.
This loss puts the Bears in sixth place within the Ivy League with an Ivy record of 1-2-1. Brown's next Ivy contest comes on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. against Cornell (1-9-1, 0-4-0).
