W. Soccer Faces Hartford in Battle of Northeast Powers

In the aftermath of the No. 17 Harvard women's soccer team's 2-1 victory over Penn on Saturday, the rejuvenating return of sophomore goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther has provided the Crimson (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) with just as much reason for optimism as the win itself.

After missing the first two contests of the year with bone chips in her knee, Gunther was back in her regular starting role between the pipes on Saturday. Though she was still feeling some lingering effects from her injury, she played as well as she needed to, holding Penn to a single goal while making two important stops.

Altogether, her performance was quite remarkable, considering she had been cleared to play just four days earlier. Coming into the weekend, she was simply trying to speed her recovery along in order to be ready for Saturday.

"Although it is frustrating getting back, I am confident I will be back to full strength soon," Gunther said last week. "I definitely feel a little pressure after our defensive success last year and that is probably the most frustrating part of trying to get back."

Last season saw Gunther break a school record for goals-against average in a season (0.48) while also leading the Ivy League in save percentage.

Gunther will surely be able to return to that level of domination as her knee improves. For now, though, she can only take it one game at a time as she fights her way back to full health.

"Although I am getting better every day, I know I am not playing at the level I had been during the summer [before the injury]," she said. "I worked very hard since the summer to come in as a much stronger keeper. I feel good with a year of experience under my belt and my defense is looking good."

Even at less than a hundred percent, Gunther is an asset to the Crimson, and she could not have picked a better time to rejoin the team. Saturday's tilt with Penn marked the start of a tough five-game road trip that includes a swing along the West Coast for a pair of contests.

Before it travels out west, though, Harvard will go to Connecticut tonight to take on No. 10 Hartford (5-1, 2-0 America East), the team that provided Gunther with one of her toughest challenges as a rookie last season.

The two teams played to a 1-1 tie in their match in 1999. Gunther, just five games into her collegiate career, went save for save with Hawks goalkeeper Ingrid Sternhoff to keep Harvard in the game.

Though the Crimson and the Hawks were equals on that day, Hartford ultimately had the last laugh. While the Crimson was upset in the second round of the NCAA tournament by Boston College, the Hawks advanced all the way to the quarterfinals, downing Princeton, Florida, and Virginia, before finally falling to Penn State, 2-0.

The Hawks lost six starters from last year's team to graduation, including Sternhoff. Even still, Hartford is the favorite going into tonight's match-up.

"Just because they're ranked ahead of us, I think everyone expects them to win," freshman midfielder Katie Westfall said. "But this will be a good game for us to come together and gel and really challenge them."

Coming off wins against Vermont and Penn, the Crimson is out to prove that it is not the same team that was shutout 3-0 three weeks ago by Texas A&M, which, incidentally, is the last nationally-ranked team Harvard has played.

"I think we've improved a lot since the A&M game," Moore said. "We are doing a lot of the little things now that comes with playing a lot of games."

One major factor that could play in Harvard's favor is the possibility of sophomore forward Beth Totman returning to action. The team's leadng scorer in 1999, Totman has been out of commission since early August with stress fractures.

If she is indeed able to play, Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton would likely elect to go with three players up front with Totman joining Moore and sophomore Joey Yenne at the forward spots. It would be the first time the Crimson have played with such a formation this year; until now, Harvard has been utilizing a 4-4-2 setup.

With those top three scoring threats all in action, the Crimson would be in good position to mount a serious attack upon a very imposing Hartford defensive unit. The Hawks have posted four shutouts in six games so far this season.

"It is really a question of regional pride in terms of the Northeast," Moore said. "Last year, we tied them. This year, we want to come away with the win."