M.Soccer Blanks Black Bears, 3-0

The Harvard men's soccer team expected to dominate struggling Maine yesterday and it did exactly that, with its most impressive and complete game of the season.

The Crimson (5-8-2, 2-3 Ivy) won 3-0 at Ohiri Field behind a goal and two assists from sophomore midfielder Nick Lenicheck, extending its winning streak to a season-high three games.

Harvard outshot the Black Bears (2-12-2), who ended their season with six straight losses, by an overwhelming 22-2 margin.

"We came into today's game very confident," Lenicheck said. "Even though we're out of the postseason this year, we knew we had to come out and play hard if we wanted to beat a team we knew we should beat."

The Crimson wasted little time translating the momentum from its previous two wins to yesterday's match.

Lenicheck scored the eventual game-winning goal just 21:16 into the first half after receiving a diagonal chip pass from senior Juan Carlos Montoy.

With Maine attempting to pull off an offsides trap, which had worked three times early on, Lenicheck made a perfect run on the ball as Montoy passed it over the top of the defense.

Lenicheck quickly got control of the ball and after taking a few dribbles, fired a laser to the far post, past Maine's senior goalkeeper Aaron Weymouth to give the Crimson a 1-0 lead.

"I saw Juan with the ball, and just called for it," Lenicheck said. "He played it over one defender and I headed it down [to gain possession]. I was off at an angle, and just put it past the goalie into the side netting of the far post."

Although throughout the season the Crimson has had problems maintaining an early lead, it used its newfound killer instinct yesterday and refused to relinquish command.

Just two minutes after Lenicheck's goal, Harvard upped its lead to 2-0 off a free kick from 20 yards outside the Black Bears' goal.

Junior captain Ryan Kelly touched the ball to Lenicheck, who then crossed it to the far post where freshman back Joe Steffa put it away with a diving header.

"A lot of people created chances today," Lenicheck said. "In the past this wasn't the case, but today we really came together."

Most of the early success Maine enjoyed from its offsides trap quickly evaporated after this two-minute stretch.

"We weren't looking to change our game today," said sophomore goalkeeper Mike Meagher, who made just one save. "We did what we knew we had to do to keep our momentum going."

Even with Steffa's goal in hand, the Crimson refused to tone down its pressure. Spending a considerable amount of time in Black Bear territory for the rest of the game, Harvard struck again at the 60:20 mark.

Lenicheck collected his team-leading sixth assist after his cross from the left side was deflected past Weymouth by sophomore midfielder Michael Peller to give the Crimson a

3-0 lead.

Lenicheck's three points against Maine were the most by a Harvard player in a single game this year.

With the match's outcome already certain, Harvard Coach John Kerr utilized the last 30 minutes of the second half to let every player on his roster dressed for the game enter the match.

Sophomore goalkeeper Dan Mejias and freshman goalkeeper Brandon Renken preserved Meagher's shutout over the final 25 minutes.

"This was a nice game for us," Kerr said. "It was a good opportunity for everyone to play. This isn't always the case during the course of a season."

"To win 3-0 instead of 1-0 or 2-0, to dominate, feels great," Meagher said. "It says a lot about how we as a team have come together."

The Crimson now turns its attention to its final two games of the season, which are against Ivy League rivals Brown and last-place Penn.

"We're making the steps necessary to be a solid team in the future," Kerr added. "We want to build on the momentum we've created and finish on a good note and also do well for the seniors."

The Crimson travels to Brown on Sunday. It can still finish its Ivy schedule with a winning record and a strong finish could spell future success for the young team.

"We're going into Brown expecting to win," Meagher said. "We're optimistic about [these next two games], and will feel disappointed if we don't pull them out."