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Stickwomen Take on Princeton; Crimson Needs Crucial Victory

Katsias has three shutouts on the year and nearly recorded another in the Crimson's last game, a 1-0 loss to seventh-ranked New Hampshire. At week's end, she was the top-rated goalie in the Ivy League.

Katsias and her defensive cohorts--Kelly, Bambi Taylor, Kristen Fallon, Sharon Kosakowski and Leelee Groome--have repeatedly frustrated opponents' drives with shoestring steals and long clearing passes.

But the Crimson's chances at Ivy glory really rest with the offense which has tallied only seven goals on the year.

Wings Cindi Ersek and Gia Barresi and forwards Kate Felsen and Linda Runyon must put together the kind of cohesive attack that lifted the Crimson over Dartmouth, 2-0, last Saturday.

A special burden seems to rest with Ersek who is emerging as a star on a team of solid but unspectacular players.

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"She [Ersek] is not only improving," Lamborghini says. "She's getting very good."

Ersek's breakaways against New Hampshire were the only offensive threats the Crimson mounted in the game.

Her goal against Dartmouth--a tip-in of a Felsen blast at 27:21 of the first half--gave the Crimson an early edge, the only first-half advantage it has enjoyed this season.

The lesson of the Dartmouth victory is simple--score early and let the defense do the rest.

More than anything, the Princeton contest will test whether Harvard's second-place standing in the Ivy League is a testament to the spirit and savvy of its young team or a mere fluke.

The defense has already shown its mettle.

The burden of proof lies with the offense.

THE NOTEBOOK: For their efforts in the victory over Dartmouth, Ersek and Katsias were named Honorable Mention Ivy League Players of the Week... Harvard's all-time record against Princeton is 1-5. IVY STANDINGS Team  W  L  T Penn  3  0  1 HARVARD  2  1  0 Brown  2  1  1 Yale  2  2  0 Dartmouth  1  2  1 Princeton  1  2  1 Cornell  1  4  0

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