W. Soccer Downs Quinnipiac 2-1, Advances to Second Round of NCAAs

The road was slightly bumpier this time around, but for the fourth straight season, the Harvard women's soccer team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson (11-7, 4-3 Ivy) earned the chance to continue on in the tourney by defeating Quinnipiac 2-1 in the opening round yesterday at Ohiri Field.

Just four days after breaking her left hand in Harvard's season finale against Columbia, senior forward Ashley Mattison exploded for two goals to provide all of Harvard's offense.

The tallies accounted for Mattison's first points of the year and could not have come at a more perfect time, as the Crimson snapped a losing streak that had spanned the final five games of the regular season.

With the victory, the Crimson will now travel to Hartford, where it will clash with the No. 19 Hawks on Saturday for the right to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

"We certainly felt like we were under the microscope a little bit because of backing in [to the tournament], so we felt we wanted to prove something today," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said.

The second of Mattison's two strikes came in the 55th minute with the game tied at one goal apiece. The score was set up by a Crimson corner kick, as sophomore midfielder Orly Ripmaster launched one of her trademark booming passes from the right side. The ball soared to the far post of the Quinnipiac net, where freshman fullback Kathleen Ferguson headed it to Mattison, who booted it into the back of the net.

"There was no one in front of me so I just hit it, and it went through a couple of legs," said Mattison, who sported a cast on her injured hand. "[Sophomore forward] Joey [Yenne] was in front of the keeper shielding her so it was just good timing."

The goal deprived the underdog Quinnipiac squad of any momentum it might have gained after netting its own goal just before halftime to knot the game at one.

On that play, Braves forward Alison Jaquith fired a high shot that Crimson sophomore keeper Cheryl Gunther stretched out to deflect off the crossbar. The rebound came right back to Jaquith, however, who was able to tuck the ball inside the near post before Gunther was able to recollect her bearings.

"The [Braves'] players up front put a lot of pressure on us," Wheaton said. "We were very anxious at halftime, knowing the emotion they have and the athleticism up front."

Quinnipiac entered yesterday's contest boasting a prolific scoring attack led by forwards Elisa Goncalves and Meghan Kennedy, who have combined for 28 goals this season. In hopes of containing each of those players, Wheaton shuffled his lineup, electing to go with four players in the defensive backfield. The move worked to near perfection, as Goncalves and Kennedy managed only a pair of shots between them.

The Crimson defense held Quinnipiac to just six shots overall, and Gunther made five saves--including two impressive leaping grabs--to record the win.

In addition to the usual strong showings turned in by co-captains Lauren Corkery and Brooke McCarthy, two talented freshmen backs helped bolster the defense.

Ferguson, whose assist on the game-winning goal gave her three points on the year, received a start yesterday and ended up playing all ninety minutes of the game.

"She did a great job," Wheaton said. "To be a freshman in your first NCAA game is nerve-racking enough, but [is even more so] when you haven't had many minutes of playing time. I was really proud of her. I thought she stepped up and did a great job today."

Fullback Lauren Cozzolino, who has quietly pieced together a tremendous rookie campaign, also starred. On one instance in the second half, Kennedy was able to break loose up the left sideline, but only to have Cozzolino chase her down and knock the ball away. Kennedy resorted to fouling Cozzolino out of exasperation.

In addition to their defensive efforts, the Harvard backs played a big role on offense yesterday as the Crimson played with one less attacker than usual due to the four-person backfield.

"I have a great deal of confidence in our backs not just as defenders but in their ability to move [the ball] forward," Wheaton said.

For the most part, the Crimson controlled the game's tempo throughout. That was evident from the start of the opening half when Mattson netted the game's first goal. In just the ninth minute, senior midfielder Meredith Stewart shuffled a pass off to sophomore midfielder Bryce Weed, who fed Mattison for the score.

The assist was Weed's first point of the season. Weed, who was a First-Team All-Ivy selection last year but has been hurt much of this fall, is getting back to the level she was at one year ago.

"I'm feeling a lot better and getting a lot stronger," Weed said. " I was really, really happy to get back out on the field. It's great to be back."

With the likes of Weed and Mattison now coming on strong to add extra punch to the Crimson's roster, Harvard will hope to upend Hartford on the road on Saturday. The Crimson has not won on the Hawks' home turf since 1996.

Notes

On the same day she was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, freshman midfielder Katie Westfall was unavailable against Quinnipiac because of a case of the chicken pox. Westfall, who is second on the team in scoring with 17 points, is currently under quarantine, but should be able to play on Saturday against Hartford. ...

Harvard and Dartmouth are now the only Ivy League teams remaining in the NCAA tournament, as Princeton fell to Wisconsin yesterday, 1-0. ...

This year's second round tilt between the Crimson and Hawks (17-3) will be the second in three years. In 1998, Hartford eliminated Harvard from the tournament with a 3-0 win.

In the team's most recent head-to-head match-up on Oct. 31, the Hawks mustered a goal in the 87th minute to down the Crimson 2-1. Despite the result, Harvard displayed that it can very much compete with the Hawks.

"I personally think we did really well last time we played them," Corkery said. "Especially in the second half, I think we dominated in that game."...

The Ivy League announced its all-Ivy selections yesterday. Receiving first team honors were Westfall and sophomore forward Joey Yenne, who finished second in the league in scoring with 24 points.

Meanwhile, McCarthy was named to the Second Team, and Corkery and Cozzolino each received Honorable Mention.