The women's soccer team continued its slump, losing 4-1 to Harvard last Saturday in its fifth consecutive loss.
Bruno's (6-6, 0-4 Ivy) offense continued to struggle last weekend. The Crimson (6-3-3, 2-1-1 Ivy) outshot the Bears 17-5, and Bruno managed to get a shot on target only once. Fortunately for the Bears, that shot, from Erin Katz '16 in the 62nd minute, was enough to put them on the board. It was the Bears' first goal in 369 minutes of play and marked Katz's first collegiate score.
"It's exciting to score," Katz said. "But (we're) pretty upset about the loss."
The first half remained scoreless mainly due to goalkeeper Amber Bledsoe '14, who kept Harvard at bay with five saves. While the Crimson was able to create several goal-scoring opportunities, the Bears' offense once again struggled with an uninspiring performance from the attacking third.
Bruno's best opportunity came right at the game's start with a header that midfielder Louisa Pitney '14 sent just wide.
All five goals came within the first 25 minutes of the second half. The Crimson's Meg Casscells-Hamby struck first in the 51st minute off a corner kick - she captured a rebound and sent the ball brushing the crossbar on its way in.
In the 59th minute, Elizabeth Weisman increased Harvard's advantage to 2-0. The Crimson took a free kick from midfield straight to Haley Washburn, who headed it over goalie MC Barrett '14 to the crossbar. The ball ricocheted back to Weisman, who wasted no time in sending it to the back of the net.
But the Bears quickly got back on their feet. In the 62nd minute, Mika Siegelman '14 passed to Katz, who slotted the ball past goalie Bethany Kanten.
With the gap closed to a one-goal difference, there was a chance for a Bruno comeback. But Casscells-Hamby quickly doused the Bears' comeback hopes with the fourth goal of the match. Less than a minute after Bruno's tally, the team was again down by two goals.
In the 67th minute, Casscells-Hamby made another decisive move with a quick pass to Taryn Kurcz inside the 18-yard box. Kurcz finished off the post to put the Crimson on a clear path to victory with a 4-1 lead.
After the last goal, the match crawled slowly toward the final whistle with neither side registering a shot.
Katz said she hopes that the Bears will build on her drought-ending goal and continue to get on the scoreboard. "(We'll) work well to get another one, keep them coming," she said.
The Bears, who are now alone in last place in the Ivy League standings, will face Cornell (1-11-1, 0-3-1) Sunday at home.
