Cornell Chews Up M. Soccer, 3-1

ITHACA, N.Y.--Despite holding the Big Red scoreless for 60 minutes, and snapping Cornell's four-game shutout streak, the Harvard men's soccer team failed to obtain a much-needed win, falling 3-1 Saturday at Berman Field.

The Crimson (2-6-1, 1-2 Ivy) closely contested the Big Red (6-3, 3-1 Ivy), but still lost its third straight.

True to past form, Harvard was able to contend with its opponent for quite some time before relinquishing any goals. The Crimson held then-No. 8 Yale scoreless for a half before losing 3-0 Sept. 25 in New Haven, and held Stanford scoreless for 87 minutes, then lost 1-0 Oct. 1.

Though neither team managed to score for the first hour of the game, once the scoring did begin, it arrived in droves, with Cornell scoring three times in the next 15 minutes.

Though Cornell eventually managed to win rather handily, the game was a back-and-forth contest between two very evenly-matched teams.

"I'd have to say this game was 50-50; it could've gone either way," Harvard Coach John Kerr said. "The teams were dead even. A simple lack of awareness at crucial times just killed us."

Moreover, Harvard was able to be very competitive with a Cornell team which was riding a stretch of four straight games during which it held its opposition scoreless. During that stretch, the Big Red even managed to defeat No. 17 Brown.

Yet, thanks to outstanding defensive performances from freshman back Mike Lobach and goalie Dan Mejias, the Crimson was able to equal Cornell's shutout through two-thirds of the match.

Though both teams were able to hold each other scoreless, they did not keep each other from attempting shots. The game was back-and-forth, shifting from end to end, and each team had ample opportunities to score.

While Cornell may have had the edge in quantity of shots taken, outshooting the Crimson 23-8 on the match, Harvard seemed to attempt more quality shots, coming very close on a few such tries.

But with the score knotted at 0-0, and a pattern of , "close, but no cigar," already established, it looked as though this fast-paced game of near goals and brilliant saves was going to end in a scoreless tie.

Such would prove not to be the case. At 59:42, Cornell midfielder Brett Mackechnie furiously dribbled down the left wing, and at the last available instant, lofted a centering pass toward waiting midfielder Oswaldo Rodriguez, who put it past Mejias for the game's first and most vital goal.

Cornell's goal was perhaps due to just the sheer probability, that after so many unsuccessful attempts, Cornell was bound to score.

"We both had our chances, they finished and we didn't," Lobach said.

Although a 1-0 lead is hardly insurmountable--though lately it has been for opponents of the Big Red--the effect of the goal on Harvard's confidence was far more debilitating.

"Our confidence coming into this game was already low and that first goal killed us," Kerr said. " It was a shot to our confidence."

The previously strong Harvard defense then weakened, shortly thereafter allowing a second and third goal within merely a minute of each other.

At 73:48, Cornell's Adam Skumawitz managed to poke the ball past Mejias on a breakaway, and at 74:35, Cornell's Lewis Vaughn, sliding to his left, struck the ball off the right post and into the Harvard goal.

More than anything else, these two goals were a result of the demoralizing effects cast on the Harvard team by the first goal.

So with only 15:25 left to play, and Cornell ahead 3-0, all that remained to be seen was whether Cornell's four-game shutout streak would continue.

With the Harvard team down after three Cornell goals within a 15-minute span, the shutout streak seemed safe. But at 84:14, senior midfielder Armando Petruccelli broke through the stingy Cornell defense, and scored an unassisted goal.

Before any further charge could be mounted, time expired, and with it, so did Harvard's hopes of winning as well as any realistic shot at the Ivy League crown.

However, some rays of light did emerge from the darkness that tainted this game.

"This is a learning process, and we have a very young team with a lot to learn," Kerr said. "Danny Mejias in goal was just great. What we want is to make each day an improving day."

Mejias made eight saves in place of regular starter, sophomore Mike Meagher.