Harvard Women Top Rival Yale

Baskind's goal, two assists lead Crimson

October 5, 2008

CAMBRIDGE -- Freshman Melanie Baskind scored the game-winning goal and added two assists as the Harvard women’s soccer team defeated archrival Yale, 3-1, on a cool, breezy Saturday afternoon at Ohiri Field.

"It was a great performance by our team," said Harvard coach Ray Leone after his squad picked up its first Ivy League victory of the year. "The team and the players were amazing today. Yale's a great team. It took a lot of effort for us to come away with the win."

Harvard's Melanie Baskind has four goals for the Crimson so far this year (DSPics.com/Harvard Athletics).

The opening minutes of the game saw few scoring opportunities for either side until Crimson senior Erin Wylie redirected a pass from Katherine Sheeleigh off a free kick near the 12-minute mark. The attempt was saved by Yale keeper Ayana Sumiyasu. Almost four minutes later, Sheeleigh had her own opportunity after receiving a pass from Baskind, but again Sumiyasu was there for the save.

The Crimson (4-3-3, 1-1 Ivy) nearly got on the board at 15:56 when Christina Hagner hit the post off a header from a corner kick by Baskind.

Sheeleigh got Harvard on the board at the 33:16 mark when Baskind lobbed a pass ahead of the Yale defense. Sheeleigh dribbled to the right side near the goal line and deflected a wide-angle shot off a Yale defender that just made it past Sumiyasu.

Less than a minute later, Yale nearly tied it up, but an offside call negated a Becky Brown goal.

In the second, both teams combined to take 10 shots in the first 10 minutes of action. Harvard keeper Lauren Mann made a save off a kick by Yale’s Emma Whitfield at 51:39, one of her three saves on the day to preserve the Crimson’s one-goal advantage.

Harvard expanded its lead to 2-0 after a blocked Yale shot turned into a 3-on-2 the other way. Sheeleigh lobbed a pass to a streaking Baskind up the middle. Sumiyasu made the save on the initial shot by Baskind and a Yale defender blocked Sheeleigh’s attempt off the rebound. Baskind then gained control of the ball near the right side of the goal and immediately put one past the Yale defense at 55:19 for the freshman’s fourth goal of the season.

Baskind now leads Harvard with four goals and 12 points.

Mann made another save on a shot by Brown at 58:49, and then eight minutes later the Crimson goalie grabbed a Yale cross and got the ball out to midfield. Baskind dribbled up field and nearly added her second goal of the game, but her shot deflected off the crossbar.

The Crimson then upped the lead to 3-0 when Hagner corralled a loose ball in front of the goal off a corner from Baskind at 68:48. Hagner kicked the ball into the net for her first of the year.

"Harvard was clearly the better team today," said Yale head coach Rudy Meredith. "They outplayed us in every aspect of the game."

Yale was awarded a penalty kick at 84:55. Mann made a diving save on Maggie Westfal’s shot, but the rebound came right back to Westfal, and she banged it home for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.

The Crimson returns to action Saturday when the team hosts Cornell at Ohiri Field. The game is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. The Bulldogs, who have scored only one goal in their first two Ivy games, are at Dartmouth Saturday at 7 p.m.

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