Crimson Drops Two Straight on West Coast

The Harvard women’s soccer team opened its season with two losses last weekend in Southern California.

Against the Long Beach State 49ers (3-1-1), the Crimson (0-2-0) could not find offensive rhythm and suffered a 3-0 defeat.

“We didn’t play particularly well,” Harvard coach Ray Leone said. “It was first game jitters.”

In the next contest against the Loyola Marymount Lions (2-2-1), the Crimson improved immensely but still fell 1-0.

Harvard possessed the ball much better in the second game but could not turn that control into scoring opportunities.

“We need to take people on a little better when we get into that final third,” Leone said. “In the first game we didn’t have many chances at all. In the second game we improved so much, and now we’re ready to put that last piece together.”

The Crimson will have a lot of time to work out the kinks as the team plays five games in 10 days.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 1, HARVARD 0

After a sloppy first game, Harvard had nowhere to go but up.

“The contrast in the second game was dramatic,” Leone said. “It was a really good performance—much better mentally.”

The Crimson smoothed out many of its preseason wrinkles but couldn’t overcome a goal by the Lions’ Tiffany Harrison in the 52nd minute.

The defense held strong and junior goalkeeper Lauren Mann made four saves. Both Leone and captain Nicole Rhodes noted the strong play of the Harvard keepers, Mann and junior Laura Dale, over the weekend.

“I think we played well defensively,” Leone said. “There were short lapses that cost us the goals.”

Last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, sophomore Katherine Sheeleigh, led the Crimson’s offensive attack with three shots. Rhodes also recorded a shot on goal off a corner in the first half, but a diving punch by the keeper kept Harvard off the scoreboard.

“We focused more on keeping the ball and keeping the rhythm,” Rhodes said. [After the loss to Long Beach State] we came back and played really well.”

The freshmen on the squad were unavailable to play in the second game, as they were summoned back to Cambridge for Orientation.

LONG BEACH 3, HARVARD 0

In the Crimson’s first match of the year, the 49ers controlled the tempo and overpowered Harvard, a team that started playing together just two weeks ago.

The Crimson managed to stay even with Long Beach State for much of the first half, but eventually the 49ers struck gold. The opponents found the back of the net twice in the last five minutes of the half.

“After the first goal, we just lost focused,” Rhodes said. “That’s something we’ll learn from.”

With a 2-0 lead, Long Beach State broke the game open when Lindsay Bullock scored in the 53rd minute.

All three goals by the 49ers came in a span of fifteen minutes.

“I think it was a mental letdown—a conditioning factor that we need to improve on,” Leone said.

Harvard failed to put together a comeback and recorded one shot in the second half.

Sheeleigh led the Crimson with three shots at forward and junior Christina Hagner recorded two shots. Over the weekend, Harvard was outshot 19-12.

—Staff writer Jake I. Fisher can be reached at jifisher@fas.harvard.edu.