Late Crusader Heroics Seal Harvard Loss

A new month brought new hope for the Harvard men’s soccer team, which had gone winless in October.

On the day after Halloween, however, the team got a trick instead of a treat.

Holy Cross scored in the 64th minute to break a 1-1 dealock and hung on for a 2-1 win over the Crimson (4-8-2, 0-4-1 Ivy League) at Ohiri Field yesterday afternoon.

For Harvard, the defeat extended its non-winning streak to eight games, including seven losses during that stretch. It was also the first loss the Crimson seniors have suffered against the Crusaders (8-7-0, 2-4-0 Patriot).

“We got outplayed today by Holy Cross,” Harvard coach John Kerr said. “They were really up for the game, and we weren’t. Holy Cross came to play and they brought their A-game.”

The Crusaders controlled play throughout the first half, but the Crimson managed to head into the break with the game tied, as junior Charles Altchek scored his leauge-leading ninth goal of the season with less than one minute remaining before intermission.

Altcheck’s goal capped off a wild sequence in front of Holy Cross’s net, which saw Harvard’s David Williams, with his back to the goal, kick the ball back into the goalie box.

Crusaders goalie Keith Bauer stopped the initial shot but could not hold on to the ball, and Altcheck was there to finish up. Freshman Marcel Perl picked up the assist.

“We were in a bit of a funk in the first half when we were down 1-0,” Kerr said. “I was hoping since we equalized right before halftime, we could come out of it and for the first part of the second half we did. We played pretty well and had some opportunities. Then they got hold of the game again.”

Holy Cross notched the game-winner on a momentary defensive lapse. The Crusaders’ Marsalis Beckford took a pass from Josh Trott and shot from the left corner of the penalty box past Harvard goalie Adam Hahn, who was making his first start of the season.

Trott was the only other Crusader to beat Hahn as he buried a shot into the left-hand corner in the 23rd minute to put Holy Cross up 1-0.

Beckford’s goal was partly the result of a breakdown on the Crimson’s backline.

“We switched to three [defenders] in the back,” said captain and defender Will Craig. “One of our guys forgot we were playing that way, got caught

up in the play, and left the [Holy Cross player] right there. He just forgot about his mark and the guy was free through.”

Despite having rallied once in the game already, Harvard was unable to do so again—a problem that has plagued it during its current losing streak.

“We did well today to come back from down 1-0,” Craig said. “I thought in the second half, we had the momentum. It was like, something little hits us, we make a small mistake, and the other team will capitalize. It’s done from there.”

The Crimson has two games left to break out of this mental funk.

“There’s that kind of atmosphere here,” Craig said. “It is going to take a pivotal game for us to turn it around. We have got two games left, one of them being Senior Day. Hopefully we will come up big for that.”

Harvard had a few chances late in the game, including one with three minutes left when Bauer barely managed to beat Altcheck to a loose ball in front of the goal.For the most part, however, the Crusaders were in control in the second half.

“We didnt execute our opportunites,” Kerr said. “We were second to the ball all day, and when you do that, you will always be second best.”

This was also Kerr’s first loss to Holy Cross since becoming head coach at Harvard seven years ago.

“[The Crusaders] had a lot to prove,” Kerr said. “They got a nice squad. I thought they played really well. I tip my hat off to them. They beat us in every facet of the game today.”