W. Soccer Tries to Tame the Terriers

After traveling all the way to Miami this past weekend, even Hurricane Irene couldn't slow down the Harvard women's soccer team. While the No. 16 Crimson (10-1-1, 4-0 Ivy) hopes for better weather today in Cambridge, it certainly hopes its storming attack continues against cross-town rival Boston University at 3 p.m. on Ohiri Field.

While B.U. needs this victory to solidify an NCAA berth, Harvard has a more intangible motivation for the game.

"This is a big game for us," co-captain Jessica Larson said. "They are in our region, and we know they will be emotional and psyched for the game, just as we are."

Harvard is currently riding a six- game winning streak, including two wins this past weekend in Miami.

Despite horrific conditions--17 players getting stuck in an elevator, rental cars sinking in the flood waters, and living without electricity--Harvard crushed Butler 4-1 on Saturday, and shut out Miami 2-0 on Sunday.

Junior forward Ashley Mattison, sophomore forwards Colleen Moore and Caitlin Costello, and freshman forward Joey Yenne all contributed goals for the Crimson. Moore also tallied two assists.

Freshman goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther continued to dominate, posting her fifth shutout of the year at Miami--her fourth in the past five games. Before the weekend her save percentage was .846 and with these shutouts, it is now even higher.

The Terriers, on the other hand, do not have the luxury of a No. 1 goaltender and platoon senior netminders Meghan Lynch and Beth Weisman, who have .721 and .800 save percentages, respectively.

The biggest Terrier threat to spoil another Gunther clean sheet will be junior forward Deidre Enos, named America East Women's Soccer Player of the Week on Monday.

In B.U.'s 4-1 win over Vermont last Sunday, Enos scored a pair of goals to reach a total of 12 for the season, eclipsing the former Terrier single-season record of 11. It was the second time in the past week that she scored more than one goal in a game.

Through B.U.'s 14 games this season, Enos has accumulated 12 goals along with three assists for 27 points, making her America East's leader in goals per game (0.86) and in scoring (1.93 points per game).

"She is their strongest player," Larson said. "We will be looking to get behind the ball to stop her."

The keys for Harvard in this game will include winning balls in the air, shutting down Enos, and playing with the confidence it's shown all year.

After this game, Harvard will ready itself for four tough contests, including three Ivy League battles and beginning with Princeton this Saturday and followed in the next couple weeks with UConn, Dartmouth, and Brown.

The Tigers are currently No.2 in the Ivies, and Harvard will need a victory to retain first place in the Ivy and potentially improve its No. 16 national ranking.

"Personally, I think we are a top ten team, but we are thrilled to be ranked as high as we are," Larson said. "I think we are as strong as ever, and we're looking forward to these next five strong games."