M. Soccer Primed for NCAA Berth

As the football team jumped out to a significant lead at the Yale Bowl, the Harvard men’s soccer team (12-3-2, 5-2-0 Ivy) routed its New Haven rivals at nearby Reese Stadium, lighting up the Bulldogs (4-8-5, 2-3-2), 4-0, in its final regular-season game.

“We knew we had to come out and make a statement,” said co-captain and goalkeeper Adam Hahn. “Given that tournament seedings are coming out soon, this was a must-win game for us to go into the postseason.”

With only 24 at-large spots available for the NCAA Tournament, the Crimson had one last chance to impress the selection committee. Entering with the ninth-best scoring attack in the nation with 2.31 goals per game, the impetus was on Harvard to provide an offensive display worthy of continuing its season.

After starting off sluggishly in the first 35 minutes of the game, the Crimson’s offense awoke with intensity. Sophomore Andre’ Akpan timed a well-placed cross onto the head of junior defender Marcel Perl for the first—and eventually, game-winning—goal of the fixture.

But while that first goal was enough for the result, Harvard needed some style points. Just 61 seconds later, junior forward Mike Fucito fed the ball to Akpan on the right for a goal into the near-side netting.

“Those guys are very good players, and it’s crucial to have them playing well,” head coach John Kerr said. “When they’re firing on all cylinders, we’re a very dangerous team.”

The two continued to be a presence around the Bulldogs’ net in the second half. With the win seemingly assured late in the second half, the Crimson’s playmakers once again turned on the fireworks to put on a show for the large contingent of Crimson Crazies on hand.

In the 74th minute, Akpan dribbled past several defenders and sent a pass down the left side of the box. Fucito collected the ball in the box and struck it into the back of the net for the 3-0 advantage.

Fucito put in a second goal in the 80th minute off of a solid through pass from junior John Stamatis.

It wasn’t just an offensive display for Harvard. The defense had one of its best performances of the year, posting the shutout and allowing only one shot on goal the entire game.

“Coach was telling us all week that we need to make a statement, win big, and keep a shutout,” said co-captain and forward Matt Hoff.

The Crimson responded well to the outpouring of support on the sidelines, where the crowd was heavily clad in crimson and kept Harvard’s enthusiasm alive throughout the game.

“The whole team came with the mentality to really play well and step up to the challenge,” Hahn said. “It was an electric environment—it felt like a home game, and I think the guys really embraced it.”

The energy from the crowd enabled the Crimson to light up Reese Stadium. In stark contrast to Yale’s offensive performance, the Crimson had nine shots on goal and a .643 shooting percentage.

Akpan’s two assists and one goal caps a regular season in which he finished as the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals and nine assists.

Perl’s goal, his second goal of the year, was also his second game-winning goal.

Ranked 15th overall by College Soccer News and the NSCAA, the Crimson is in position not only to receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, but also possibly to get a home game, if not a bye, in the first round.

“Hopefully [this victory] will give us some momentum going into the tournament if we get in,” Hahn said. “We just tried to play well enough to get ourselves in the position to play in the postseason, and all of us are dying to play in that first game.”

NCAA seedings will be announced Monday evening by a selection committee composed of representatives from eight different regions of the country.

“This game is a huge confidence-booster going into the tournament,” Hoff said. “We have a very talented team, and we know we can play with any team in the nation—it’s all a matter of getting into the right mindset. We have the talent and the tutelage to go far if we stay focused.”

—Staff writer Mauricio A. Cruz can be reached at cruz2@fas.harvard.edu.