Men’s Soccer Secures Late Equalizer Against UConn

For much of the second half, the momentum seemed to mirror the Crimson’s recent matches: open the scoring, then concede back-to-back goals and watch the match slip away.

“We wanted to stay in and respond over 90 minutes, and that’s been a big emphasis for us,” said head coach Josh Shapiro. “We’ve lost confidence and lost some energy the last few matches.”

However, as the clock ticked down at Jordan Field, junior midfielder Phoenix Wooten drove down the right flank and sent the ball towards the goal. Amid the chaos in the box, the ball found the back of the net.

Wooten’s late equalizer propelled Harvard (1-1-2) to a 2-2 draw against the University of Connecticut Huskies (3-3-2) in the Crimson Kickoff, a themed match hosted by Harvard Athletics – which drew over 900 spectators.

Both sides entered the pitch looking for a positive result: Shapiro’s Crimson looked to bounce back following consecutive hard-fought losses, while the Huskies sought to continue their four-game unbeaten streak.

“It’s a hard contest against a team that was a Sweet 16 team last year and had NCAA aspirations, so it’s a proper challenge, and that’s how we schedule these games because you learn a lot about yourself.”

Following a dominating performance against then-RV Massachusetts, the Crimson continued to rely on the left flank for its attacks, with sophomore forward Adam Poliakov producing six shots, including one on goal.

The Ukrainian native continued to trouble opposing defenders as he searched for his second goal of the season. In the eighth minute, Poliakov managed to drive past three defenders with pace, before delivering a low right-footed shot that was stopped by the goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, the two-time NCAA champion Connecticut built attacks from the back, aided by vocal redshirt junior goalkeeper Kyle Durham – who led Division I soccer in saves in 2025.

The Huskies troubled Harvard from the opening whistle. Sophomore goalkeeper Jason Broome was forced to make two saves in the opening 45 minutes to keep the scoreline level. A through ball found UConn’s leading scorer, senior forward Elijah Langford, in space on goal, but Broome closed down the angle and denied the chance to open his account.

Despite the Huskies’ dangerous chances, it was the Crimson who struck first. A long goal kick from Broome bounced to senior midfielder Ben Kelly, who fed captain Dylan Tellado on the left for a strike that traveled through Durham’s legs.

As the first half drew to a close, UConn continued to pressure Harvard’s defense, forcing Broome to produce another massive save from short range in the 23rd minute.

The momentum then shifted toward the Crimson, which repeatedly threatened the opposition box with crosses and corners. Harvard returned to the locker room with a narrow 1-0 lead.

The Huskies came out strong in the second half and equalized within 15 minutes. The ball bounced to junior midfielder Aidan Sheppela, whose low attempt from outside the box beat Broome to the bottom-right corner.

Sophomore midfielder Preston Alessio then curled a long-range shot off the right post, and the rebound fell perfectly to junior forward Evan Pickering in space. Pickering beat a grounded Broome to put the visitors ahead for the first time of the evening.

However, unlike in its prior matches – when the Crimson began to break down in the second half – the home squad regained its fitness and composure.

“Fitness was a weakness, and that’s now coming,” Shapiro said. “We’ve had some young players emerge, and Andreas Engle stepped in and had a 75-minute performance again, which was fantastic.”

Harvard eventually found its equalizer from a corner. Sophomore defender Alejandro Palacio played a short delivery to Wooten, who beat his defender to the right before sending the ball into the box, where it found the back of the net.

From there, both teams traded high-intensity attacks in search of a winner, but the final whistle sent the sides away with a draw.

Even though the teams ended level, the match was far from peaceful: match official Philip Benson issued a flurry of bookings, with both sides combining for eight yellow cards. Harvard out-carded the visitors three to none in the first half.

“I wanted us to defend with some physicality today,” Shapiro said. “The goal is not five yellow cards. The goal is to be aggressive, the goal is to be physical, the goal is to defend properly and impact it on that side of the game.”

Harvard men’s soccer will now begin a lengthy, month-long stretch away from Jordan Field, concluding its non-conference slate with matchups at New Hampshire and local rivals Boston University and Northeastern University.

The Crimson will then open its 2026 Ivy League campaign against the No. 18 Cornell Big Red in Ithaca, N.Y. Despite the daunting schedule, Shapiro is enthusiastic about the coming fixtures.

“We can be dangerous in different ways,” Shapiro said. “We’re hopefully going to be a difficult scouting report because you’ve got to talk about a lot of people and a lot of different ways we can be a threat.”

—Staff writer Jason Deng can be reached at [email protected].