M. Soccer Soars Over Eagles 1-0

In the second game of a crucial five-game homestand, the Harvard men's soccer team defeated Boston College 1-0 in a tough grudge match yesterday afternoon.

Controlling most of the game against its cross-town rival, the Crimson (4-2-1) improved its prospects for a postseason appearance. With the win over the Eagles (5-3-0), who were ranked No. 5 in New England, Harvard has improved its chances of moving into the regional rankings.

"I knew we were dominating and that we would wear them down," Kerr said. "It was inevitable."

The Crimson's initial performance hinted at a final score much more lopsided than the final 1-0 tally. In the first 10 minutes of the match, Harvard had two threatening shots on goal.

The Crimson continued to control possession of the ball for the remainder of the half as well, but demonstrated a frustrating inability to close out great scoring chances.

Of the notable opportunities, sophomore back Joe Steffa headed a ball just wide off a corner kick by sophomore back Mike Cornish in the 10th minute of play.

Eight minutes later, freshman midfielder Grayson Sugarman sent a cross which captain Ryan Kelly shot wide of the goal.

In contrast with the unproductive offense, the defense effectively shut down all of the Eagles' attempts at scoring by keeping the ball out of the Crimson box.

Sophomore sweeper Mike Lobach played particularly well, stopping B.C. players from penetrating too far into Harvard territory. Another bright spot on defense was freshman back Isaac Kim, who demonstrated impressive tenacity by clearing and heading many balls out of the middle of the field.

This combination of missed offensive opportunities and outstanding defense resulted in a scoreless tie going into halftime.

Something Harvard Coach John Kerr said during halftime must have sparked his players. Within the first two minutes of the second half, the reinvigorated Crimson offense drew blood.

Steffa played a good ball down the right sideline to Kelly, who was dispossessed by Eagles back Kevin Boyd. Boyd misplayed a pass back to B.C. goaltender Chris Hamblin, and Kelly was there to capitalize on the miscue. Kelly's goal gave Harvard a 1-0 lead and proved to be the game-winner.

Although the Eagles did appear to be fatigued, the inevitability of Harvard's success wasn't clear. The Crimson lead was tried many times as the Eagles' offense began to rhythmically take shots on goal starting in the 56th minute.

Luckily for the Crimson, each of these shots was stopped beautifully by junior goalie Dan Mejias. Mejias had six saves en route to his third shutout this season, and he has proven invaluable in the Crimson's recent success.

In the 69th minute, however, the lead almost disappeared. Eagles sophomore forward Casey Schmidt lobbed a shot from 10 yards out and Mejias dove intuitively to his left for the crucial and incredible save.

Despite this timely stop, the Eagles were not deterred. Taking advantage of an apparent lapse in the Crimson defense, the Eagles continued to bombard Mejias from all angles.

With 8:50 left in the game, Schmidt nailed a hard shot from the right side of the box, which Mejias gathered. About a minute later, a penalty against Harvard led to a free kick dangerously close to the goal. The kick was taken from the top of the box, but was blocked by a wall of Harvard defenders. An Eagles midfielder controlled the ball after a failed clear and took the final shot of the game for B.C.

The Crimson defense, which played all 90 minutes, was fatigued by the end, giving the Eagles more chances on goal in the waning minutes.

While B.C. never seriously threatened again, Harvard still received a scare when freshman forward Spencer George suffered an injury while converting on a 50-50 tackle.

"[Spencer] will be okay; he just got a knock," Kerr said.

A minute after George went down, an Eagle received a yellow card, which was B.C.'s second of the day. The first card was awarded to Boyd for pulling a Crimson player to the ground by his shirt in the first half. The second card came when Eagle senior midfielder Sjur Gunderson viciously slide-tackled Lobach.

As the game drew to a close, Harvard played conservative soccer to protect its precious and fragile lead. B.C. had little chance to tie, or much less win, when the final horn sounded.

Overall, the team was pleased with its performance.

"This was the best overall game all year," Steffa said. "Everyone gave 110-percent all week in the practices leading up to the game."

Harvard's performance was not only significant because it accounted for another win, but also it may have set the tone for the rest of its season.

"The win gives the team confidence and the knowledge that a shot at the league title is possible," Mejias said.

Also, the win yesterday evinced a trend of team unity and cohesion.

"We are clicking as a team," Kelly said. "It always takes four to five games each year to get settled."

The Crimson will look to continue its current winning streak when it takes on a strong Cornell team next weekend in a game that could either make or break Harvard's hopes of an Ivy League championship.