Early Crosses Keys W. Soccer's Postseason Attack

If you're a soccer fan who can't afford the time or cost of a trip to Manchester, England, to watch United strut its stuff at the top of the Premiership, a trip to South Bend, Ind., may be the perfect substitute.

When the resurgent Harvard women's soccer team takes the field against top-ranked Notre Dame (22-0-1), it will rely on the same tactics that Man U. has used to monopolize English soccer for years--attacking up the wings, sending early and accurate crosses into the box, and finishing with authority.

Across the pond at Old Trafford, United relies on David Beckham and Ryan Giggs to carry the ball up the wings and provide service to Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. Here at Ohiri Field, the Crimson too relies on outside midfielders Orly Ripmaster and Caitlin Fisher to work the wings and knock balls into the box where Joey Yenne and Ashley Mattison of late have made a habit of finishing.

"At the beginning of the season, our forwards weren't expecting crosses," Ripmaster said. "But as the team started playing better, people started to expect early crosses into the box."

Both prior to and since the five-game aberration that left the Crimson on the verge of being excluded from the NCAA tournament, early service and opportunism have been pivotal concepts for the offense. Harvard's winning goal in last Wednesday's first round victory over Quinnipiac was typical of this type of attack.

Early in the second half, Ripmaster booted a long service to the near post to freshman Kathleen Ferguson. Ferguson headed the ball across the mouth of the goal where Mattison was waiting to deposit the winning tally past a helpless Jenna Lawless--Harvard 2, Quinnipiac 1.

Crosses into the box inevitably create confusion, as they cause defenders and attackers to battle in the air and force the goalkeeper to decide whether or not to hold her line. Even when the cross is not decisively handled by any one player, danger still lurks as the ball bounces back and force like a pinball amidst 20 or so human obstacles.

Of course, attacking up the wings and relying on timely finishing can have its drawbacks. Too much of the same attack can lead to predictability, and as Harvard discovered during a three-game scoreless streak against Penn State, Connecticut, and Dartmouth, not scoring can be very frustrating.

The remedy is to slot balls through the middle and change up the attack so as to keep defenders 'honest.' Harvard's third goal during its second-round 3-0 upset of Hartford, in which Joey Yenne tucked away a Meredith Stewart through-ball, was just such a diversification of attack.

Against a smothering Notre Dame squad, however, Harvard will not have as much time or freedom to attack through the middle and will likely look to attack up the flanks. While the Fighting Irish may very well dominate possession on Friday night, the Crimson will pose its own offensive threat in the form of counter-attacks up the wings.

Early, accurate service and opportunism will be more vital for the Crimson than any other facet of the game Friday night. Man U. has lived and died by such tactics and look how many venues it has dominated in the last five years alone--the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and the World Club Championships.

So if a trip to Old Trafford is out of the question, a trip to Alumni Stadium on the campus of Notre Dame might be the perfect the solution. The Fighting Irish should control the pace of the game and possess the ball with tantalizing fluidity. But when the Crimson makes attacks of its own, they will bear an uncanny resemblance to the "Red Devils" who have torn up the English Premiership for decades.

And when 90 minutes are over on Friday, time of possession, consecutive passes, and pretty build-ups will mean nothing. All that will matter is which team scored more goals, and as both Harvard and Man U. have proven over the years, running the flanks and servicing the box might just be the best way to accomplish such a feat.