UConn Red Card is Disastrous for W. Soccer

Sometimes a red card can be the greatest boost for the offending soccer team and the worst news for the other side.

Such was the case yesterday afternoon at Ohiri Field.

Playing a man down from midway through the first half on, the No. 3 ranked UConn women's soccer team (14-0-2, 7-0-1 Big East) turned it up a notch against No. 22 Harvard (8-2-1,4-0-0 Ivy) to win 2-0.

With the score knotted at zero in the 23rd minute, Husky senior forward Jennifer Tietjen received a red card for knocking down Harvard junior forward Gina Foster from behind. Foster was on a breakaway when Jennifer Tietjen tripped her. HARVARD  0 UCONN  2

Tietjen's ejection served only to fire up the Huskies. Not only was Harvard unable to score any goals, but UConn went on to score two while playing with only ten players.

"It is always difficult when you play a team that is down a player; everybody on the field feels they've got to put in a little extra to make up for that player," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said.

"One player, I don't think, makes that big of a difference," he said. "When they are down a player and up a goal, then you don't feel like you have to push forward."

Harvard opened the game at the mercy of UConn as the Huskies controlled the ball early on. Harvard received possession for the first time in the third minute.

Harvard freshman Colleen Moore turned the momentum around for the Crimson with a shot on goal in the seventh minute and marked the beginning of Harvard's control of the field.

The Crimson continued to dominate the field as senior forward Naomi Miller and co-captain Emily Stauffer had consecutive shots hit the crossbar in the 16th minute.

Harvard controlled the pace until Miller went down in the 22nd minute.

While Miller would return, her injury, coupled with the subsequent red card, turned the tide toward the Huskies' favor.

Connecticut wasted no time in scoring. Five minutes later, Margaret Tietjen, Jennifer's twin sister, dribbled down the left side and booted a cross that somehow managed to find the right side of the Crimson net.

"Before they scored against us, we knew that we could take it to them and we were very offensive minded," junior forward Beth Zotter said. "Once they scored on us, we reverted back to a more defensive mindset."

The score remained at 1-0 going into halftime.

"I feel like we did pick it up in the second half," Zotter said.

After UConn and Harvard traded shots a few times to no avail, Crimson defender Jessica Larson was slapped with a yellow card for taking a Husky player down from behind in the 62nd minute.

The Harvard foul set up a free kick from the perimeter. UConn forward Jen Carlson booted the ball over the Crimson wall and past Harvard keeper Anne Browning for a 2-0 Husky lead.

Harvard could not recover, even as Miller returned to the game.

"When we played, we were all over the number three team in the country," Wheaton said. "When we got a little tentative, they were all over us."

Miller drilled the ball past the Husky goalie in the 65th minute, only to see it run by the goal just wide to the left.

Harvard failed to capitalize shortly thereafter as a Miller cross was bobbled by the UConn goalie but was knocked away by the Husky defense in the 71st minute.

As time drew nearer to a close, the two teams took turns streaking downfield, only to come up empty-handed.

"You can look at it two ways--on one hand we're disappointed we lost 2-0," Wheaton said. "On the other hand, to play the number three team in the country, and to be standing here after the game feeling like we lost--that we let ourselves down in terms of not winning that game."

In the end, Harvard outshot UConn 21-11 despite the loss.

"When you play a team like UConn, they are very strong and you feel like you need a break," Wheaton said. "We gave up a goal we shouldn't have given up. I think that took us off our focus a little bit.

"I think one of the things we learned today was that we can control our destiny," he added.

Harvard has the opportunity to control its destiny Saturday when it travels to Princeton to face the Tigers in an Ivy League showdown.

UCONN, 2-0 at Ohiri Field Harvard  0  0  --  0 UConn  1  1  --  2

Scoring

UConn--M. Tietjen, 27:37

UConn--Carlson, 62:05

Saves: Har--Browning 5; UConn--Eskerud 11.