No. 16 Indiana Outlasts Harvard 9-7 in Eastern Championship Second Round

Nicole Redder

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Lauren Wyckoff (So., Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) scored four times and sister Cassie Wyckoff (Fr., Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) stopped 10 shots in goal as No. 16-nationally ranked Indiana University built an 8-1 lead with 7:06 remaining in the fourth period and had to weather a six goal spurt by host Harvard University in the fourth period to survive and advance to the fifth place game at the 2009 Eastern Championship in Blodgett Natatorium.

In front 7-1 at the end of the third period, the Hoosiers ( 20-16) appeared primed to coast to victory as Maggie Hannon (Sr., Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) buried an apparently insignificant insurance goal at the 7:06 mark of the fourth period to push the margin out to 8-1.  However, Harvard (11-16) went to work on the Indiana defense forcing fouls and exclusion chances as Monica Zdrojewski (Fr., Irvine, Calif./Dana Hills) scored on a man-up chance at 5:39 to break a 21:30 scoring drought from the team and Zdrojewski's first goal of the contest at the 3:09 mark of the first period also on an exclusion opportunity. 

The lead decreased to five goals at 4:42 as Patricia Smith (So., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) scored at even-strength before Shannon Purcell (Fr., Danville, Calif./Monte Vista) beat Wyckoff on another exclusion opportunity at 3:43 to pull within 8-4.

Harvard continued to chip away at the Hoosiers' margin as Northern Division Rookie of the Year Devan Kennifer (Fr., Monterey, Calif./Santa Catalina) rifled exclusion and even-strength goals past Wyckoff at 3:04 and 1:24, respectively, to put the Crimson within 8-6.

Needing a stop to preserve the win, the Hoosiers received agita as Lizzie Abbott (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) blasted a shot into the netting with 44 seconds on the clock to pull Harvard within one at 8-7 and bring up the idea of overtime.

However, the Hoosiers cashed in on a Crimson mistake as Smith took a penalty and Lauren Wyckoff buried the ensuing five-meter shot for an insurance goal with 16 seconds left on the clock for the 9-7 final.

In cage, Nicola Perlman (Sr., Stanford, Calif./Castilleja) made nine saves for Harvard as the Crimson will complete their participation in the Eastern Championship at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 26 versus the defeated from a Bucknell University-Princeton University second round game.  Indiana will take on the victor of the Bison-Tigers game at 11:30 a.m. on April 26 in the fifth place game.

Harvard Goals: Monica Zdrojewski (2); Devan Kennifer (2); Lizzie Abbott; Shanna Purcell; Patricia Smith

Indiana Goals: Lauren Wyckoff (4); Nicole Redder (2); Jakie Kohli (2); Maggie Hannon

Saves: Harvard - Nicola Perlman (9) ; Indiana - Cassie Wyckoff (10)

Ejections: Harvard - 10 ; Indiana - 13

Sprints: Harvard - 2 (Lizzie Abbot - 1st & 2nd) ; Indiana -  2 (Kelsey Cambell - 3rd, Nicole Redder - 4th)

Cassie Wyckoff prepares to save a shot from Harvard's Devon MacLaughlin