M. Soccer Falls to Maine 2-1

Following its 1-0 loss to Vermont last Wednesday, the Harvard men’s soccer team thought it had turned a corner when it defeated then-unbeaten Fairfield on Saturday.

But the resurgence was short-lived, as the Crimson (4-4-0) dropped a 2-1 decision to Maine (3-2-1) yesterday at a neutral site in Maine.

“[Yesterday] was terribly disappointing,” senior defender Sam Wiggin said. “We thought we were headed in the right direction, and this was a major setback.”

After giving up a goal in the first fifteen seconds, Harvard scored the equalizer midway through the second half off of a throw-in from senior midfielder Ben Mottau. The ball was headed by sophomore defender Tom Stapleton before finding the foot of junior midfielder Anthony Tornaritis, who sent it to the back of the net. The score was Tornaritis’ team-leading fourth of the season.

“It was kind of a scramble in front of the net, but Tony managed to get the ball and get it to the side of the net,” Stapleton said.

But the tie was short-lived, as the Black Bears scored with just eight minutes left in the game.

“You have to win games against Maine and Vermont,” Stapleton said. “You can’t rely on the Ivy League to get you into the [NCAA] tournament every time.”

The Crimson returns to action this Saturday when it opens its Ivy schedule at home at 4 p.m. against a Yale (0-6-0) team that is still winless this year.