Victory Tonight Would Net Ivy Title for W. Soccer

Does history repeat itself? The women's soccer team seems certain that this time it won't.

Harvard (13-2-1, 5-0-1 Ivy) travels to Providence to face Brown tonight. A victory would secure the Ivy League championship for the Crimson. The circumstances of this final Ivy League contest seems eerily familiar to returning players.

One year ago, Harvard led Brown 3-1 in a game that would determine the recipient of the Ivy crown. But the Bears scored two goals late in the second half to tie the game and steal the coveted title.

"Last year's disappointment is definitely something we've been thinking about all year," co-captain Susie DeLellis said. "They took [the Ivy title] away from us last year, and there's no way we're going to let that happen again."

This year, a tie would garner a share of the championship with Cornell, who Harvard tied earlier this season 0-0 in Ithaca. But the Crimson is definitely aiming higher.

First of all, the Crimson hasn't scored a win over the Bears since 1981.

"We want to beat Brown because they're Brown and because we want the Ivy League title," freshman goaltender Jen Burney said.

"Brown is a big revenge game," freshman Naomi Miller said. "Revenge has a lot to do with it for the upperclassmen."

The team's preparations have reflected the importance of today's contest. Thursday's practice was under the lights.

"It's different," freshman Brynne Zuccaro said, "because the ground tends to be wetter it tends to be a faster paced game."

DeLellis concurred, citing that conditions tend to be colder at night. Night games are fairly uncommon on college schedules.

"It's not really an issue but we just wanted to make sure we were comfortable," she said. "They'll use any advantage that they can to throw us off our game."

But the Crimson is determined not to emerge empty-handed. Practices have been geared particularly to combat the Bears' strengths.

Brown plays an aggressive, fast paced game based around running onto balls kicked well downfield. The majority of its scoring this season, however, has come off set plays.

To neutralize these strengths, Harvard has worked on defending corner and indirect kicks this week in practice.

With the selection decisions for the NCAA Tournament coming tomorrow, the Crimson has an added incentive for victory. A win today seems necessary for obtaining an invitation.

Without any other tournament contenders in its schedule, Harvard's 3-0 loss to No. 3 UConn on Tuesday has hurt its chances for a bid. Unlike the men's tournament, in women's soccer, winning the Ivy League does not provide an automatic invitation to the national tournament. But every victory counts.

While getting back into the tournament has been a goal all season, the team has been concentrating on the Ivy title.

"I guess getting an Ivy League ring is my biggest dream," DeLellis said. "I think everyone on the team is probably more focused on that now and the whole way through."

So it all comes down to this evening, and for the Crimson, nothing would be sweeter than to come out of Providence as Ivy League champions.