M. Booters Get Back On Track, Slap UNH

What a difference a win makes.

The Harvard men's soccer team avoided slipping into a devastating hole Wednesday when it blanked New Hampshire, 2-0, in Durham, N.H.

With every game becoming a must-win, the Crimson (3-4, 0-2 Ivy) got back on the winning track, shutting down the Wildcats for 90 minutes and regaining some respectability.

"[UNH] was certainly not as strong as some of the teams we have played to this point," Harvard Coach Mike Getman said. "They are inexperienced, but they have some talented players and when given the chance, they can do some damage."

Wednesday's contest, only the second ever between the two teams (Harvard is 2-0 in the series), remained scoreless for nearly 70 minutes before Harvard got on the scoreboard.

Senior midfielder Don Daigle opened the scoring at the 68:03 mark, blasting a ball from just in front of the net past Wildcats goalie Aaron Agrondnia.

Harvard has been able to strike first in the majority of its contests this season, but until Wednesday it failed to solidify its leads.

Harvard had no such problem against UNH, however.

Just two minutes and 12 seconds after Daigle's goal, junior midfielder Jason Luzak padded the Crimson's lead with his first goal of the season. Luzak leads the team in scoring (1 goal, 4 assists, 6 points).

"The difference between this game and our others is that we came right back afterward and scored," Getman said. "We put the nails in the coffin quickly and made it easier on ourselves.

"To be honest, I think we played one of our poorer games," Getman continued. "We've had more chances in our other games. We just finished two of our chances [against UNH]."

Harvard had a strong day on the offensive end, hammering 14 shots on goal and taking 10 corner kicks. UNH had 10 shots on goal.

Crimson netminder Jamie Reilly put forth another stellar effort in goal. Reilly notched his third shutout of the season, and lowered his goals-against average to an impressive 1.09. Reilly has garnered 29 saves in six games.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard begins a three-game homestand Saturday at 2:00 p.m.