Scoring Woes Still Plaguing Women's Soccer

The Harvard women’s soccer team’s win against Yale last Saturday may well prove to be the spark the team has been searching for all season. As a group confident in their recent play, the Crimson players now prepare to host a struggling Cornell team, whose loss to Penn last week was as deflating as Harvard’s win was uplifting.

The Big Red (4-3-2, 1-1-0 Ivy) was shut out last Saturday by the same team that blanked the Crimson (3-4-2, 1-1-0 ) two weeks ago, 1-0. The Quakers played with an aggressive offensive style and took control of the game early, sending Cornell to its second straight 3-0 loss.

Facing such a demoralized team, the Harvard players know that tomorrow’s match against Cornell is one that they should—and must—win in order to stay in the hunt for at least a share of the Ivy League title.

“We’re not going to play any differently coming off a big win against Yale,” freshman back Michelle Hull said. “We’ll play with the same intensity. Regardless of our record, we have the same attitude.”

The Crimson’s big win last week assuaged the bad taste left in the players’ mouths after the tough loss to Penn. But it does not erase the fact that the team needs to win virtually every remaining conference game in order to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Given the importance of this game, the players are careful not to take the Big Red too lightly, even though they admit that they are going into the game with a lot of confidence.

“In any given game [in the Ivy League], either team can win, so we’re expecting a tough match,” senior forward Alisha Moran said.

Cornell is known for its strong defense, having allowed only 83 shots this season. The team began the year by shutting out its first three opponents.

But like Harvard, the Big Red is struggling offensively, with a shot percentage of just over 5 percent, while the Crimson is managing just a 7 percent shot percentage.

Asked if there are any facets of the offense that the team is looking to improve upon, captain defender Liza Barber defended her team’s lack of goals.

“Last year we weren’t creating many opportunities,” Barber said. “Now, we’re getting quality chances.”

The key, of course, is capitalizing on those chances. There is no better time to start than now.

On the defensive front, the Crimson does not look to make any changes on a design that is already working. Opposing players have only converted approximately 6 percent of their shots against Harvard, and much of that can be attributed to the Crimson defense’s outstanding speed and ability to reposition themselves in transition.

Junior goalkeeper Katie Shields is also a big help. Barber praised her teammate for her ability to read the game well and for her confidence in coming out in front of the net.

“She’s almost like an extra defender for us,” Barber said.

Last season, Harvard and Cornell played to a 1-1 tie, an outcome the Crimson is desperatly looking to avoid. In order to ensure a victory this time around, Harvard plans to take advantage of the Big Red’s tendency to swing the ball around by finding holes in the defense and carrying out a relentless attack.

“[Last season] most of the games were played in midfield,” said Moran. “Having tied so many games a year ago, we know the importance of putting the ball in the net.

Harvard starts its pivotal match against Cornell at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Ohiri Field.