M. Soccer to Challenge Yale

Yale isn't the most friendly place to visit if you're on the Harvard men's soccer team.

With memories of a violent altercation the last time these two teams faced off in New Haven, Harvard (4-4-1 overall, 2-1-0 Ivy) travels to Yale to be faced with a must-win situation in its quest to repeat as Ivy League Champions.

The Yale game is always important psychologically for the squad, but this year's game is more than just a grudge match for Harvard.

With already one loss in Ivy League play this season, the team must win the remainder of its Ivy schedule to capture the League championship and win a berth in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

That's no easy task for a talented team plagued by injury, especially considering the unfriendly environment of New Haven.

"It's a tough place to play," said junior forward Richard Wilmot.

Harvard knows that after coming to blows with Yale in their loss at New Haven two years ago.

With that in mind, the team practiced hard this week in preparation for this weekend's schedule.

Said junior middle T.J. Carella, "Everyone was ready and excited to produce good results this weekend."

So far this year, the squad has performed below expectations, coming off their Ivy League Championship scason. Plagued by injuries and inconsistent play the team has fallen behind the pace of undefeated Brown in the race for the Ivy crown.

Said Carella, "We've been off our game a little, but I think we've refocused."

While the team does not consider any one Yale player to be a dangerous threat in today's matchup, Harvard is concerned about the level of intensity the Yale team will have playing such a big game at home.

Said Wilmot, "We need to score early and calm them down to win."

Last year, the team used a similar strategy, eastly dispatching Yale 4-1 in Cambridge.

On Sunday, the squad will host Lafayette to finish out one of its first two game weekend schedules in recent years. While the Lafayette game is not on the same emotional plane as the Yale matchup, the team realizes that today's results will have a large impact on its performance tomorrow.

Even though the Yale game will no doubt be psychologically taxing, the team does not expect emotional fatigue will play a role in either matchup. However, the squad is unsure what to expect physically, having never played back to back weekend games.

"It'll be a little tough physically," said sophomore back John Bamford.

The team knows what it needs to do to stay in the hunt for the Ivy League championship. This weekend it will have the chance to prove that it's up to the task.