W. Soccer Starts Ivy Season

The Harvard women's soccer team hopes to play the role of doctor tomorrow afternoon, and the patient will be the Crimson itself.

After one-goal losses to top-20 opponents Penn State and Hartford this week, No. 15 Harvard (1-2) will get a nice dose of perennial Ivy League doormat Columbia tomorrow at 11 a.m. The Lions may be the tonic for a Crimson offense that has mustered only one goal in its last two contests after a season-opening 3-0 victory over New Hampshire.

"Our offense isn't quite there, and we're looking to fix that against Columbia," said co-captain Emily Stauffer. "I think we're going to go out there screaming."

"We had trouble getting shots on goal [against Hartford]," junior forward Beth Zotter said. "We've been working on our running patterns in practice, and that should help open up some shots for us."

The game also marks the beginning of the Ivy League season for Harvard, making a win doubly important. A defeat of Columbia would be the perfect way for the Crimson to begin its quest for its fourth straight Ivy title.

Harvard has enough weapons to strike the Lions' net often. Stauffer, an All-American, is Harvard's primary weapon and has already tallied a goal and three assists in this young season. She is a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year and has contributed to every Harvard goal of the year.

Senior forward Naomi Miller is another player that can strike quickly. The 1997 Ivy League Player of the Year has a powerful leg with accuracy to match.

Midfielders co-captain Devon Bingham and junior Ashley Berman, and Zotter round out the core of the Crimson's striking capabilities. It was Bingham who scored Harvard's lone goal in last year's 1-0 win over the Lions with assists from Miller and Zotter.

The Crimson will also have history on its side tomorrow afternoon. Harvard has never lost a game to Columbia and holds an all-time record of 12-0-1 against the Lions.

"Columbia is always the first game of the Ivy League season for us, and we always look for it to put us on a good track," Zotter said.

The Crimson should have little trouble coming out strong against a Columbia squad that finished tied for last place in the Ivy standings last season. Columbia may be the ideal opponent for a Harvard team that hopes to get its record back to the .500 mark.

"We really try to separate our Ivy games from our non-conference games," Zotter said. "We know that if we win the Ivy League we will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, and all the other games won't matter."

"This game is important just because it's an Ivy game," Stauffer said. "We don't need any more motivation.

Harvard is looking for a team to abuse, and Columbia seems to be the victim. After two tough losses to top-quality opponents, the Crimson hopes that a little Lion turns out to be a good remedy.