Tempers Flare as M. Soccer Shuts Out Yale

With Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Yale, the Harvard men’s soccer team kept its status as one of two Ivy unbeaten teams and guaranteed a rise in its ranking.

The matchup at Ohiri Field was filled with intensity from the start. Harvard junior midfielder Ladd Fritz put the Crimson on the board only five minutes into the game, scoring off a nice feed from senior Michael Cornish off a corner kick. Fritz patiently dribbled the ball across the box before placing it into the back of the net with his left foot.

Harvard ended any hopes of a Yale comeback with 19 minutes left in the second half, forcing an own goal. The goal was scored as Harvard forced the ball into Yale’s penalty area, where it deflected high off a defender and over the head of the Eli goalkeeper. Saturday’s game was the third straight in which a Crimson opponent has scored on itself.

The 2-0 shutout over Yale (7-2-1, 1-1-1) was the second straight Harvard victory over an opponent it had trailed in the Northeast rankings. Harvard (8-3-1, 2-0-1), ranked eighth entering the week, beat third-ranked Holy Cross on Tuesday prior to Saturday’s victory over the fourth-ranked Elis.

In between the two goals, the game was played with high intensity. Players sacrificed themselves going after loose balls. Bodies collided. Knees were bruised. Temperament wore thin. Naturally, the physicality of the game carried over emotionally, prompting several near brawls in the game.

“Yale came out hard, but we showed more intensity, “ Fritz said. “People get caught up in the game and it gets carried away.”

Top goal scorer for the Crimson, junior Kevin Ara found himself playing in an unusual spot. Hampered by a foot injury, the highly skilled forward played most of the game behind the midfield line.

“I was at maybe 65 percent,” Ara said. “I was just hobbling. I thought if I was on the field, I’d give the team more confidence. Whenever I can, I try to help the team. I try to lead by example.”

Yale pressured Harvard for much of the game. Trailing 1-0, Yale opened the second half carrying the play to Harvard. The Crimson seemed content to sit on the lead, shrivelling back into a defensive set that conjured up images of the notorious Italian team infamous for giving up late-game goals.

The Crimson’s goalkeeper, however, was up to the task. Sophomore Jamie Roth made seven saves altogether, including two huge saves in the second half to deny Yale’s bid to even up the score, prior to the own goal that iced the game.

“It was the biggest game of the year,” Ara said. “We came out and matched them [Yale] in intensity. It was great to get the shutout.”