M. Soccer Tops Providence

Three days after shutting out the University of Maine at home, the Harvard men’s soccer team once again blanked its opponent yesterday, defeating Providence 3-0 on the road.

Freshman goalie Jamie Roth played the full 90 minutes of the game, saving three attempts by the Friars (0-7-1). Captain Nick Lenicheck scored his third goal of the year, while sophomore midfielder Kevin Ara and junior midfielder Colin Eyre scored the other two goals in the Harvard win.

The first goal of the game came in the 19th minute, as junior back Joe Steffa received the ball and advanced it up the field, where Lenicheck caught the pass. After beating one of the Friar defenders, he ripped a shot goalward. The ball bounced off of Providence goalkeeper Danny Glynn and rolled into the open goal.

It was the only goal Harvard (5-2, 1-0 Ivy) would need.

Harvard’s second strike of the game did not come until the second half. At 49:04, Steffa passed the ball to Ara, who took one touch and shot it for the score and make the score 2-0. It was Steffa’s second assist of the game.

As the game went on, Providence pressed harder and harder, trying to even out the score. With the Friars pushing hard in the 84th minute, the defense stole possession of the ball and cleared it out of the middle, catching Providence with no defenders in their half of the field. Glynn attempted to head the ball, but missed and it coasted down to Eyre’s feet. Nonchalantly he put the ball into the net to up the Harvard lead to 3-0.

While the Crimson was able to muster a shutout, the team did not play as well as it has in other games this season.

“It’s good to get the midweek win, which we traditionally have problems with,” Lenicheck said. “But we are not satisfied with it. We didn’t play as we would have liked to play.”

“We’re satisfied with the win, but not with the specific performance,” Ara added.

The Crimson will need to improve its effort as it enters a stretch of league games to end the season.

“It’s great that we got the result,” Lenicheck said. “But we are now looking toward the weekend and Princeton, who is nationally ranked by some polls. We’re going to have to raise our game a couple of notches from today.”

Princeton was favored to win the league at the beginning of the season, but Harvard—who upset then-No. 6 San Diego on Sept. 21—is making a push toward the top. After the disappointment of losing to Boston College last week and falling out of the national polls, the Crimson is looking to use Saturday’s game to prove its true potential for this year.

Lack of energy seemed to be a problem in yesterday’s game, which could in part be due to the string of games that the team has just completed.

Playing five games in less than two weeks may have tired the team out. But before the game against Princeton on Saturday, Harvard will have three days without competition.

“Hopefully the extra rest will help to sort things out,” Lenicheck said.