Rivals Look To Rebound in Ivy League Match

Two teams with wounded pride will face off at Ohiri Field this Saturday afternoon. Both teams will be driven to bounce back from stinging losses. And as if that were not enough emotional pretext for one contest, it will be Harvard facing Yale.

Still, regardless of the background drama that underlies this year’s rendition of the storied rivalry, the Crimson knows one thing: this game is a must-win.

Coming off a three-game slide punctuated most recently by a 2-1 loss to Rhode Island, Harvard (5-4-0, 0-1-0 Ivy) hopes to reverse its fortunes and climb out of the Ivy League’s cellar.

“It’s going to be a turning point for us,” said captain and forward Charles Altchek. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Indeed, Altchek and his fellow seniors will be motivated to notch their first career win against the Elis. But, historical motivations aside, the Crimson would like to set straight the answers to some big questions about its prospects for this year.

As a young but talented team, Harvard needs to prove that it can execute in high-stress situations. Though it opened the season brilliantly, the freshman-heavy starting line faces a gut-check if it hopes to accelerate—rather than skid—into the Ivy League season.

“Losing to Penn [last Saturday] put us in a hole that we now need to get ourselves out of, and beating Yale will be the perfect way to do it,” Altchek said.

In both the Penn and Rhode island contests, the Crimson squad underperformed at crucial periods.

“We made a few mistakes at key moments,” Altcheck said. “It was just a question of executing.”

The team will look to freshman forward Andre Akpan to continue his stellar play on offense. Meanwhile, Harvard will rely on the pressure that freshman midfielder Kwaku Nyamekye and sophomore defenseman Marcel Perl can put on Yale’s attack to minimize the burden on standout freshman goalkeeper Adam Hahn.

“I’m looking forward to having [junior midfielder John Stamatis] back and well-rested,” Altchek said. “For us, it’s really a team effort defensively. We need the guys in the middle because if we all defend together, we can all attack together, and that’s how we like to play.”

However, to play the game on its own terms, the Crimson will have to bounce back from an unlucky spate of injuries suffered against Penn. Harvard is looking to prove that its health will not play into its chances for the rest of the season. Junior forward Matt Hoff and sophomore midfielder Michael Fucito were both hampered against Rhode Island by injuries sustained on Saturday. Stamatis was sidelined by a Penn-related injury of his own.

Still, the Crimson’s recent struggles have not fazed the team’s confidence. Both Altchek and Akpan, who are tied at four with with Fucito for the team’s goal-scoring lead, felt they could have easily done better.

“We know it’s going to be a tough, physical game,” said Akpan, whose height, skills and speed have given opponents fits thus far. But Akpan added, “We want other teams to have to adjust to us, so we have to be mentally sharper, make sure everyone’s marked up.”

To win tomorrow, the Crimson’s play will have to be intense and well-tuned, but there’s nothing like a big “Y” on an opponent’s jersey to focus a Harvard athlete’s mind.

“If we go out on Saturday, play our game, execute, we’ll beat them and go from there,” Altchek said.