What a difference a day makes.

Twenty-four short hours after a frustrating 2-1 loss to Rhode Island in its season opener, the Harvard field hockey team changed its attitude and changed its result, blanking Vermont 5-0 at Cumnock Field. RHODE ISLAND  2 HARVARD  1 VERMONT  0 HARVARD  5

Co-captain Judy Collins collected two goals and an assist on the weekend, while junior forward Dominique Kalil scored twice to stake the Crimson (1-1) to a weekend split.

"Everything worked better [against Vermont]," sophomore forward Kate Nagle said. "We had a better offense, better passing and better team morale, which was really the key."

After some stern words from coach Sue Caples and from co-captains Collins and Tara LaSovage, the squad shook off the aftereffects of the Rhode Island loss to post its first win of the 1998 campaign.

"Coach definitely had some words for us on Saturday," sophomore back Maisa Badawy said. "And in the locker room before yesterday's game, Judy and Tara talked to us about our purpose, why we practice every day--not just to go through the motions."

Caples also shifted sophomore back Liz Sarles to right midfield and inserted freshman Hilary Walton at center back for yesterday's action.

Badawy was the first to take the initiative yesterday afternoon, converting on a corner penalty with 27:16 remaining in the first half.

After Catamount goalie Mindy Vinelli stopped Sarles's shot, Badawy took the ball off Vinelli's pads and put it away for the 1-0 advantage.

"It was important because we finally showed we could finish," Badawy said. "We were really abusing the Rhode Island defense, but we just weren't finishing."

The Crimson took Badawy's goal into the half, then exploded in the second stanza for four goals to blow the game open.

Collins assisted on Nagle's first goal of the 1998 season with 33:04 remaining, then added one of her own three minutes later, giving her five points on the weekend. Collins led the Crimson in scoring a year ago with 17 points.

Kalil closed out the Catamounts with a pair of goals in the second half, the second assisted by Sarles, who notched her first collegiate point.

The win came after a disappointing opener which saw Harvard drop a 1-0 second-half lead. The Rams generated 10 penalty corners to the Crimson's one, and Collins's goal provided the only offense.

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem was, but nothing was working," Nagle said. "It was quite important to get one win out of the weekend."

With the first win of 1998 under its belt, the Crimson next turns to the 16th-ranked University of Massachusetts squad which knocked off ninth-ranked James Madison 4-2 in Charlottesville, Va., yesterday.

The Minutewomen (2-3) have faced four ranked opponents in a row, and also upset seventh-ranked Northeastern 1-0 Sept. 7 in Amherst. HARVARD, 5-0 at Cumnock Field Vermont  0  0  --  0 Harvard  1  4  --  5 G: Ver--None; Har--Badawy, Nagle, Collins, Kalil 2. A: Ver--None; Har--Collins, Sarles. S: Ver--Vinelli 12; Harvard--Cowan 2.