M. Soccer Stuns No. 6 San Diego

In its most difficult test yet this season, the Harvard mens soccer team claimed a surprising 2-1 overtime victory over No. 6 San Diego in the Crimsons first match of the Loyola Marymount Fall Classic Tournament on Friday.

The Crimson (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) came in on a hot streak, as it earned a huge 4-2 win at Yale in the season opener and followed up that performance with a convincing 3-0 win at home against Northeastern.

But if the Crimson was hot, San Diego was on fire. The Toreros (3-0, 0-0 WCC) breezed through their first three games, outscoring their opponents 9-1. Not to mention, the Toreros came in boasting an incredible 17-game regular season winning streak dating all the way back to last seasons 2-1 loss to Oakland University.

San Diego asserted itself early, as it controlled much of the flow of play in the first half. The Toreros constant pressure on the Crimson net allowed them to strike the first blow in the 28th minute of the match. Junior forward Tyler Conley set up sophomore Eric Wunderle, who hit a laser from 30 yards out that found the upper right corner of the Crimson goal.

After the initial goal, the Crimson defense tightened up. Senior defender Mike Lobach and sophomore defender Andrew Old held superstar Torero forward Ryan Coiner in check. Coming off a 17-goal, 8-assist season, Coiner was marked tight by the Crimson defense all afternoon.

The Crimson knew it would have to play a physical game, and it did, picking up four yellow cards in the process.

Although the Crimson did hold San Diego to only one first half goal, the Harvard offense failed to produce many chances. The Crimson was outshot 9-1 in the first half, and gave up five corner kicks while only earning one. Despite the first-half dominance by the Toreros, Harvard Coach John Kerr remained optimistic at the half. He reassured his players that they could compete with the Toreros, and reminded them of all the hard work they put in during the preseason to give themselves the opportunity to play with top-class teams.

Heeding its coachs advice, the Crimson came out with a renewed confidence in the second half. The turning point came about midway through the second frame when senior keeper Dan Mejias made a brilliant kick save off of a knee-high blast from the penalty spot. Mejias was solid all game, registering five saves while facing 18 Torero shots.

With the momentum swinging in its favor, the Crimson pushed forward as it looked for the tying goal. It finally came in the 75th minute off the foot of senior midfielder Michael Peller. Torero keeper Justin Neerhof punched out a ball that was crossed into the box. After a scramble in front of the net, the ball bounced out to Peller, who buried it in the back of the net for the game-tying goal.

After the intense final 15 minutes of regulation did not produce a second goal for either team, the two squads prepared for the two 15-minute, golden goal overtime sessions. Coach Kerr reminded the team that this was their opportunity to make a name for Harvard soccer.

The next 33 seconds will likely never be forgotten by anyone on the team, or by anyone who is a fan of Harvard soccer. The Toreros tried to play a long ball off the kickoff that got deflected by a Crimson midfielder. The Toreros gained possession and passed the ball back to a defender. The Torero defender attempted to pass the ball back to his keeper, but he shanked the ball, allowing Crimson forward Colin Eyre to move in one-on-one with the Torero keeper. With Neerhof coming out to cut down his angle, Eyre calmly buried one of the biggest goals in Harvard mens soccers recent history.

The Crimson sideline exploded as the Harvard players sprinted onto the field to embrace Eyre.

It felt awesome just to be on the field for such a big win, said freshman defender Jason Anderson, who finished the end of regulation and played the 33 seconds of overtime.

This win proves that we can compete with the best soccer teams in the country, Anderson said.

The Crimson played its second game of the tournament against Loyola Marymount yesterday afternoon at 3 p.m. (PST). The team will fly home today and begin preparations for a key game at Boston College on Wednesday.