Battered M. Soccer Finds a Way

With several players sidelined with season-ending injures and a returning starter stuck in England trying to get his student visa, the Harvard men’s soccer team seemed destined for a difficult year. But after dropping their first match to Vermont on September 6, the surging Crimson squad has not lost and comes to New Haven this Saturday boasting an impressive 4-1-1 mark.

The injury list is lengthy: returning starter senior Jeff Chivers is likely out for the year with a broken ankle, senior Bo Clayton sprained his MCL in the season opener, junior Josh Lahre is rehabbing an injured abdominal muscle, sophomore Robert Swift entered the preseason with a torn hip flexor, and sophomore Adam Hahn is out with a sprained MCL.

To complicate the recent spate of injuries, the Crimson entered the year handicapped by the loss of two of its offensive stars for the season—junior Matt Hoff and sophomore Mike Fucito. In addition, junior midfielder Tom Stapleton, who arrived Tuesday and should be eligible for Saturday’s match at Yale, missed the first six games after struggling to get his student visa to enter the United States from England.

But the Crimson has responded admirably to the adversity. Powered by the play of junior Charles Altchek, a stingy defense, and the emergence of some key contributors, the squad enters Ivy League competition poised to build on its great start.

“We are becoming resilient,” coach John Kerr said. “We are understanding that there are going to be injuries and we just have to deal with them each game, each half. We are doing our best and the guys coming in off the bench are doing a great job so I am happy with the overall performance.”

Timely contributions by substitutes have nurtured the squad’s resilient streak. In the Crimson’s last game, a 2-0 road victory over UMass, sophomore Jeremy Tchou netted his first collegiate goal 6:26 into the contest to give the Crimson an advantage they would not relinquish.

“A lot of guys are stepping up,” co-captain Will Craig said. “We are deep in that a lot of guys are coming off the bench and giving us good minutes. This is one of the deepest teams in the four years I’ve been here.”

The effort to fill-in for injured and ineligible players goes beyond just Tchou and speaks to the team’s depth. A group of freshmen—defensemen Marcel Perl, Peter Glenmullen, Chris Altchek, and midfielder Anthony Tijero—started and played valuable minutes in the win against UMass. The group’s play, which accounted for 262 minutes, forced a UMass team familiar with the Crimson’s usual starters to adjust to Altchek and senior Nicholas Tornaritis coming off the bench.

Having surmounted the early obstacle of injuries and other losses, the Crimson can now focus on winning the Ivy League championship and earning a postseason berth in the NCAA tournament. There is reason for optimism. The return of Stapleton, who played in 15 games last season, will provide leadership and, at the very least, an able body.

Furthermore, the team’s battle with injuries has helped foster a sense of unity.

“Even though it’s been tough on the team with all the injuries—and Tom not being here and Hoff and Fucito not being here—everyone is getting to play or almost everyone is getting to play,” Altchek said. “I think for the team it hasn’t been like this in the past where everyone has been so close and there hasn’t been a split between teammates that are playing and teammates that are never playing.”

“For that reason, I think that the team is a lot closer and that there is a lot more unity,” he added. “It makes it more fun knowing that everyone is going to get their chance.”

With more players gaining valuable on-field experience this early in the season, the Crimson have the depth to challenge any team left on their schedule.