M. Soccer Ties B.C. On Lazy Afternoon

A dreary Wednesday afternoon. Cloudy, gray sky. Rain here, there and everywhere. For most, it's one of those days you skip CS 50 or Chem 30 lecture to stay in bed.

If you're Harvard men's soccer, however, you play a non-league contest against Boston College at Ohiri Field. You don't play well.

Just three days after demolishing Ivy League arch-rival Yale, the Harvard men's soccer team crashed to earth Wednesday, tying dismal Boston College 0-0 in overtime at Ohiri Field.

"I thought as a team we played a bit lackadaisically," goalie Pete Albers said. "We didn't come out with the fire that we can play with. We just kind of came out flat. Those kinds of things can happen in non-league games."

"It was kind of tough for the team to get up for it because it was on a Wednesday afternoon," added sophomore Kevin Silva, who scored two goals against Yale.

In the early going, Harvard (3-0-1 Ivy, 3-7-1 overall) allowed Boston College (4-5-2) to control play. Harvard's lax defense permitted Boston College to dominate in the Crimson end. That domination led to scoring opportunities--including an open shot from the inside the six-yard line five minutes into the game that miraculously went over Albers's head.

"The tempo of the game would have change completely if they had scored that goal in the first five minutes," Albers said.

The near-goal served as a wake-up call for the Crimson. Harvard put things together and started playing like an undefeated Ivy League team. But the Crimson still could not convert. Even in the overtime period and even though Harvard outshot B.C. 14-13, the well remained dry.

"While a tie was better than the loss, we weren't too satisfied with it," Silva said.

Harvard faces Princeton Sunday as part of "Tiger Weekend." Harvard football, men's soccer and field hockey teams will make the trip to Princeton to take on their Tiger counterparts.

For the men's soccer team, the game is a must win.

"We have to play every game in the Ivy League like it's our last game," Albers said. "If we don't win the rest of our Ivy League games, we're done."

Although the Crimson is quick to emphasize the balanced and skilled Princeton attack, the Crimson must watch out for the Tigers' big guns--Jess Masrch and Jacob Dowden. Masrch has nine goals and six assists for 24 points while Dowden has seven goals and five assists for 19 points, good enough for second- and third-place, respectively, in the Ivy League.

"We really haven't talked about a game plan or strategy," Silva said. "When we play a team, we don't go out and mark a specific man. We know everyone is going to have a tough one-on-one battle."

Princeton (2-0-1, 4-4-1) is also undefeated in the Ivy League. Harvard and Princeton have both played Yale--with similar results. Princeton beat the Elis 3-1 in New Haven, Conn. on October 8.

Princeton tied Maryland, 2-2, last week and lost to Virginia, 1-0, at the Lanzera/Holiday Inn Classic. The Tigers had not been shut out in 27 straight games.

Harvard's controversial yet crucial netminding this season is still in a state of flux going into the game. Against B.C., Albers, junior Ned Calson and freshman Ben Weeden split time in net, with each goalie getting 30 minutes of regulation. Weeden played the entire overtime period.

"The keepers are doing a great job," Silva said. "They certainly have not let in any soft goals."

Amid the swirl of net controversy, the Crimson is still extremely optimistic about its chances. It's the proverbial big game and Locker Soccer gets up for big games.

"Yale was the game and we won it," Silva said. "Now Princeton is the game and we must win it."

"If we don't win, its basically our last game," Albers said. "We don't have a great record, but we can play with any team in the nation. Our job is to show the other teams that that's the case." Harvard  0 B.C.  0