W. Soccer Sweeps UAB, TCU to Start Season

If there were any questions on whether the Harvard women's soccer team could compete this season after losing five starters, the Crimson answered them with a resounding yes.

With the help of several key freshman additions, Harvard (2-0) opened the season this weekend with two resounding victories at the UMass Invitational, defeating Texas Christian (3-2) on Saturday by the score of 3-1 and Alabama-Birmingham (1-5) yesterday by the count of 7-1.

Freshman midfielder Bryce Weed tallied two goals and two assists, and senior midfielder Julia Blain and freshman forward Beth Totman each added two goals and an assist to lead the Crimson on the weekend.

Freshman goaltender Cheryl Gunther also had a strong weekend, stepping into the shoes left by senior Anne Browning. Browning, last season's starter, left the team to concentrate on crew. Gunther made four saves and allowed only one goal in over 150 minutes of action.

Harvard 7, UAB 1

In the second round of the UMass Invitational, the Crimson took on Alabama-Birmingham and wasted no time in picking the Blazers apart.

Blain started the Crimson off, booming an unassisted shot from 15 yards out.

After 10 idle minutes, Harvard began its onslaught in earnest, netting four more goals in 14 minutes.

Freshman forward Joey Yenne started the Crimson scoring spree as she took a pass from co-captain Jessica Larson--the first point of her Harvard career--and lofted a 15-yard shot over UAB goaltender Lisa Nowoslawski and into the net.

Less than a minute later, co-captain Beth Zotter added her first score of the season to give Harvard a 3-0 lead. Weed and Blaine assisted on the goal.

Weed and Larson each added unassisted goals of their own for the Crimson before the half. Weed chipped in a rebound off of the crossbar to net her second goal of the weekend. Larson then scored the first goal of her collegiate career to give Harvard a 5-0 lead at the intermission.

Totman got Harvard going after the break, taking a Larson pass and scoring six minutes into the second half to increase the Crimson lead to six.

UAB finally got on the board when Denise Peters scored an unassisted breakaway goal to cut the lead to 6-1.

With the game all but decided, Harvard added one more score as sophomore midfielder Robin Lockwood scored her first goal of the season, netting a high chip shot. Sophomore Meghan O'Brien and freshman defender Katie Urbanic assisted.

In goal, Gunther had her second solid start in as many games as she saved three shots in 77 minutes of action.

Harvard 3, TCU 1

With the losses of Browning and the Class of 1999 stars--Emily Stauffer, Naomi Miller, Jaime Chu and Devon Bingham--the Crimson entered its first game of the season with many question marks.

But with solid play from an impressive freshman class, Harvard overpowered the Horned Frogs, winning its first game of the season, 3-1. The Crimson dominated the match throughout as it outshot TCU 12-3.

After 28 minutes of scoreless soccer, Blain netted the Crimson's first goal of the season, taking a feed from midfield and beating her defender to the net. Weed and Totman assisted on the play to earn the first points of their young Harvard careers.

The Crimson kept the pressure on the Horned Frogs throughout the first half, but TCU battled to keep the score 1-0 going into the half.

The second half was more of the same for Harvard, as it was unable to increase its lead with an insurance goal until the 71st minute.

Weed ripped a shot from the left-hand corner of the box to net her first Harvard goal. Freshman Orly Ripmaster and Zotter tallied assists on the play.

Less than a minute later, the Crimson struck again as Totman nailed her first collegiate goal off of a Yenne pass to give Harvard a commanding three-goal lead with under 20 minutes to play.

Gunther, making the first start of her Harvard career, left the game in the 82nd minute with Harvard leading 3-0.

Sophomore goaltender Robyn Scatena, who played the final eight minutes of the game, gave up TCU's lone goal in the 84th minute for the final 3-1 score.