Men's Soccer
CRUZ CONTROL: Ivies Struggle, Individuals Shine in Midyear Report
Over the last few weeks, teams across the Ivy League have been served hearty portions of humble pie. Not enough, mind you, for regurgitation of the preseason accolades rained down upon the League and its players, but sufficient to make you feel queasy about their postseason prospects. With roughly a month left until the postseason and the Ivy campaign half finished, now is a good time to assess the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Ancient Eight.
Crimson Scores Twice In Final Five Minutes
The No. 9 Harvard men’s soccer team earned its second consecutive win Wednesday afternoon by aptly applying the idiom, “better late than never,” to its performance at Providence University. Seniors Desmond Mitchell and Andre Akpan scored two late goals to pull out a 2-1 victory for the Crimson, who improved to 10-2-1 (2-0-1 Ivy) on the season.
Late Heroics
Senior Desmond Mitchell scored with less than five minutes remaining to give the Crimson the lead. In the final minute, Providence tied the game, but senior Andre Akpan scored the winning goal seconds later.
Down Goes Brown
After giving up four goals to UConn on Wednesday night, sophomore goalkeeper Austin Harms and the rest of the Harvard men’s soccer team’s defense wanted a shot at redemption.
Harvard Stumbles To Loss in Storrs
The sixth-ranked Harvard men’s soccer team suffered its worst defeat of the year last night with a 4-0 loss at No. 17 Connecticut (7-2-3, 5-1-1 Big East). The Crimson (8-2-1, 1-0-1 Ivy) was shut out for just the second time this year, and it was also the first game this season in which it gave up more than one goal. The team had only given up four goals in its 10 previous games this fall. “[The Huskies] were opportunistic early, scored a bunch of goals, and they don’t give up goals very easily,” Harvard coach Jamie Clark said. “They’re a very stubborn team.”
WOLFMAN
Freshman Zack Wolfenzon came off the bench to record two shots for Harvard last night, including one of the team’s two attempts at goal. The No. 6 Crimson fell to No. 17 Connecticut, 4-1, in Storrs, Conn.
Harvard To Face Tests Against Connecticut and Brown
Today marks the start of a pivotal few days for the Harvard men’s soccer team. After a dominant 6-0 start to the season, the Crimson squad has had a reality check following a loss to No. 3 Wake Forest on September 26 and 1-1 draw with unranked Cornell this past Saturday. This afternoon, the Crimson faces a tough matchup against the University of Connecticut (6-2-4), before hosting No. 19 Brown (6-0-4, 2-0 Ivy) on Saturday.
UP IN THE AIR
Harvard travels to UConn tonight to match up against a defense that has recorded nine shutouts this season. The Crimson will then host No. 19 Brown on Saturday in a decisive Ivy League battle. The week’s games will test a Harvard team that has recently hit a couple of speed bumps. The squad barely emerged with a win against Yale and had to settle for a tie at Cornell.
With Poor Play, No. 8 Harvard Settles For Draw
A tie, in sports, can spark nearly every reaction. There are victorious ties, heartbreaking ties, and I-can’t-believe-we-played-this-entire-game-just-to-tie ties. When the No. 8 Harvard men’s soccer team tied 1-1 with Cornell this past Saturday, the reaction was mostly one of relief. This was due to a slow start, which left the Crimson in jeopardy of losing the important Ivy League matchup. The team came out unfocused, and gave up an early goal.
FEEL THE CHI
Cornell got on the scoreboard first within the first 10 minutes of Saturday’s game in Ithaca, N.Y. Harvard didn’t look like the team that’s earned itself a No. 8 national ranking, unable to create shots for itself. But junior Alex Chi broke the Crimson’s offensive silence by netting a goal in the 77th minute. As time expired in regulation and both overtimes, Harvard settled for a 1-1 tie.
CHI-A PET
Junior Alex Chi moved to the center midfielder position in yesterday’s 2-0 win over Holy Cross, and the experimental shift had benefits for Harvard, as Chi created scoring opportunities for the offense all afternoon. Chi has started eight games this season for the Crimson, and has eight shots.
Shuffled Lineup Bests Holy Cross
With fierce crossfield winds and soggy turf, there was no place for much finesse yesterday at Ohiri Field. That was fine with the No. 8 Harvard men’s soccer team (8-1, 1-0 Ivy) as it grinded to a 2-0 victory over Patriot League opponent Holy Cross (3-7, 1-1 Patriot). “It was good to get that result,” Crimson coach Jamie Clark said. “The wind played a big factor. It wasn’t the prettiest game we’ve had, but we got two scores and didn’t give up any chances.”