Fans of college sports know that injuries are something that every team must deal with over the course of a season. With that being said, the Harvard women’s soccer team has been plagued by more than its fair share of ailments, as only three players have managed to start all eight games for the Crimson.
From missing its leading goal scorer to its starting goalkeeper, the Crimson has had to deal with health issues all this season. But things are beginning to look up for Harvard heading into the heart of Ivy League play.
For one, after it started the season with just one healthy returning starter, the Crimson’s defense is finally starting to resemble the 2009 edition that won the Ivy League championship. Sophomore defender Taryn Kurcz is back after missing the first five games of the season while senior Katie Kuzma—who is also a Crimson sports editor—saw the field for the first time this year in the squad’s fifth game. Since their return to the field, Harvard has gone 2-1.
Offensively, Harvard has also gotten back the services of some of its top producers. Co-captain Katherine Sheeleigh—the team’s leading goal scorer from 2009—missed the Crimson’s third and fourth games with a minor injury, but has since returned. In her four games back, Sheeleigh has tried to make up for lost time, recording three goals and two assists.
Freshman Peyton Johnson has also had success in her two games back since being sidelined for contests against Boston University and Rhode Island, as she scored a goal in Harvard’s 3-2 win over UMass last Sunday.
But Harvard is still missing a key component of its team—sophomore goalie AJ Millet. After starting in net for the Crimson in its first four contests, Millet went down with an undisclosed injury in practice prior to the team’s Sept. 16 match-up against Boston University.
Freshman Jessica Wright has filled in for Millet, helping Harvard go 2-2 in its past four contests, but the squad hopes it can have Millet back in time for its Ivy League contest against Yale this Saturday.
With the men’s soccer team opening its Ancient Eight season at home on Saturday against Yale, the Back Page gives you an opportunity to meet the team’s scoring leader and reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, sophomore forward Brian Rogers. In this exclusive interview, Rogers reveals his love for peanut butter, his desire to be an extinct carnivore, and desired bromance with a Real Madrid star. Every week, The Full-Court Press will give you the sort of personal scoop that you’re not likely to hear at a typical press conference.
Name: Brian Rogers
Year: 2013
Stats: Last year, Rogers played in all 19 games, starting 15. He ranked fifth in the Ancient Eight with18 points and six goals, good enough for Ivy Rookie of the Year and All-Ivy Second Team honors. This year, through seven games, Rogers already has three goals including a game-winning goal in the 80th minute against Stanford in the season opener.
Now, to the questions!
1. Typical pre-game meal.
Grilled Chicken, whole wheat pasta, salad, and a banana peanut butter sandwich. I’ve been known to kill an entire jar of peanut butter on my sandwich, which doesn’t make me too popular in the Eliot House dhall.
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In the modern era of sports, being a college coach carries with it the burden of constant media attention. Facing dozens of reporters at press conferences, head coaches have gotten more savvy—they say what they need to and leave the rest up for speculation. Here at The Back Page, we’re happy to decode some of these media sessions, showing the average fan what we think coaches’ answers “really” mean.
To say that Week 2 of Harvard’s football season didn’t go quite as smoothly as Week 1 is, well, a gross understatement. After his team was embarrassed in a 29-14 loss that was much more lopsided than the scoreboard indicated, Crimson coach Tim Murphy had to do his best to explain what happened. Murphy tips his hat to Brown and shoulders most of the blame himself in this week’s edition of Sound Off.
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Coming into Foxboro Stadium to take on the New England Patriots yesterday afternoon, the Buffalo Bills had struggled to put points on the board. Through the first two games of the season under quarterback Trent Edwards, the team averaged a league-low 8.5 points per game, granting them the title of the NFL’s least productive offense.
Enter former Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05.
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Entering his 35th season as the Scott Mead ’77 Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Tennis, Dave Fish ’72 is an oracle of sorts when it comes to tennis. Lucky for us, he imparted some wisdom as the Crimson got off to a strong start at the Northeast Invitational in Flushing, N. Y.
Though tennis is a technically a spring sport, a fall schedule of six individual tournaments plays a large role in the team’s training.
“Individual tournaments are very interesting developmentally,” Fish said. “Unlike a dual match where you may play somebody in your position, in an individual tournament if you beat someone who’s close to your ability, then you get to play someone who’s probably a little better. If you get on a roll, by the end of the tournament, your confidence is at an entirely different level.”
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