Akpan, Harvard Tame Wildcats at Home

The Harvard men’s soccer team, accustomed to being one of the dominant forces in the Ivy League, rarely finds itself entering home games without being considered the favorite.

But when the Crimson jogged on to Ohiri Field yesterday to face off against previously undefeated New Hampshire, it appeared to be the Wildcats’ game to lose.

“This is the first game that we came in this whole season where we’re a little bit of the underdog and we took an underdog mentality,” Harvard coach Jamie Clark said.

But while the Crimson (3-2-0) neither played their most spectacular game nor their most conventional, a fantastic offensive effort led by junior forward Andre Akpan–who scored his first two goals of the season–and co-captain Michael Fucito helped secure a sizeable 3-1 win over the Wildcats (5-1-2).

“The team did not serve up a classic performance,” Clark said. “Getting a result was the key right now.”

After New Hampshire leveled the score, 1-1, on a penalty kick in the 14th minute, an unfazed Akpan found open field–receiving a perfect assist from senior forward John Stamatis in traffic–and crafted an excellent shot, waiting on Wildcats goalkeeper Collin O’Donnell to dive left before placing the shot in the center of the net.

It was Akpan’s second score of the contest and would prove to be the game-winner.

“He’s the guy who’s going to score us twenty goals this year potentially,” Clark said.

Fucito complemented Akpan’s play midway through the second half with a beautiful shot that caught the top left hand corner of the net, giving Harvard a two-goal lead.

The score seemed to deflate New Hampshire’s spirits, as the Wildcats did not pose any serious threats for the remainder of the game.

“Andre and Fucito can score goals out of nothing,” Clark said.

“Those two guys are potentially the two best forwards in college soccer. They can win us any game we’re in no matter how badly we’re playing.”

Akpan started the Crimson off on a positive note with an early fierce charge toward the goal at 8:18. He effortlessly twisted and maneuvered through the opposition’s defensive midfielders and fullbacks with reckless ease, chipping a perfect goal into the bottom right corner of the net.

New Hampshire had won the last two matchups between the teams, but this time Harvard overcame occasionally mediocre play with brilliant offensive bursts to put it over the top.

“We were a little sloppy and we were under pressure,” Fucito said.

But the Crimson came through when it counted, transforming its situation yesterday from a dangerous matchup to a dominant win.

“We were opportunistic, something we haven’t been in the last few games,” Clark said.

Harvard also benefited from dominant ball possession and a solid defense led by co-captain Luke Sager, which applied crushing pressure on the Wildcats at all the right times to help lock up the win.

Sager seemed to be everywhere at once, forcing New Hampshire back and preventing it from taking any effective shots throughout the match. The Wildcats only goal came on its penalty shot early in the game.

The Crimson more than rose up to New Hampshire’s challenge and showed its potential throughout the match, but the team emphasized its need and readiness to improve against future opponents.

“The team did not serve up a classic performance,” Clark said. “We hadn’t played in over a week.”

“We need to focus on keeping composure and stringing passes together,” Fucito said.

Harvard now travels to Maine for a noon game against the Black Bears.