Ivy League Crown at Stake in Providence

Games don’t come much bigger than this.

When the Harvard men’s soccer team takes the field against Brown tomorrow night in Providence, R.I., the two best teams in the Ivy League will be on display. Up for grabs? A big head start in the race for the league crown—and the automatic tournament spot that comes with it.

The Crimson (5-3, 2-0 Ivy) comes into the match feeling confident after back-to-back wins to start its Ivy schedule. Following a devastating 5-1 loss at the hands of Boston University, Harvard beat Yale 1-0, and then Cornell 2-0.

The Crimson’s momentum, however, is nothing compared to that of the defending Ivy champion Bears (8-2-1, 2-0). Brown has won six straight matches. The latest victory came via a dramatic 3-2 win against Princeton on Saturday. The Bears twice found themselves behind, but were able to come back. Junior Nick Elenz-Martin notched the winner with just four minutes left.

In the past two years, the game against Brown has defined Harvard’s season more than any other. In 2006, the Crimson crushed the then 14th ranked Bears 6-2. Current co-captain Michael Fucito had two goals and three assists in the match. Harvard went on to sweep the rest of the league schedule and claim the Ivy title.

But last year Brown was able to exact revenge on the Crimson in a 3-2 overtime win. Harvard was twice able to come from behind in the second half, but a goal early in overtime propelled the Bears to victory in the match, and to the peak of the league. The Crimson could never really recover from the loss, relinquishing its crown at season’s end.

This time around, it is Harvard that finds itself seeking payback. Just like the last two seasons, the winner of tomorrow night’s match will become the heavy favorite to win the league championship.

Given the annual implications as well as the recent history of the match-up, a fierce rivalry has developed. It is no surprise that the two teams do not really like each other.

“The emotion will be there, so we don’t have to worry about that,” coach Jamie Clark said. “So we need to be sure to be organized, disciplined, and not to let our emotions get the better of us; to use our emotions as a positive.”

Senior Michael Giammanco stressed the importance of focusing on their own play versus worrying about their opponents.

“We’re not going to change much just because it’s Brown,” Giammanco said.

Against the Bears, the Crimson will hope to continue its solid play at the back. Freshman goalie Austin Harms has not allowed a goal in the past two games, and Giammanco, junior Kwaku Nyamekye, co-captain Luke Sager, and sophomore Robert Millock have formed a formidable defensive team.

In midfield, Harvard has enjoyed strong play from juniors Brian Grimm and Adam Rousmaniere. Sophomore Alex Chi is a workhorse on the left flank, and senior John Stamatis will look to support the striking combination of Fucito and junior Andre Akpan.

Fucito leads the team with six goals despite having had off-season surgery. Clark has tried to rest Fucito for the latter parts of games when possible, but it is unlikely that he will have that luxury tomorrow in such a vital match.

The Crimson is yet to win this season at an opponent’s ground, and will be eager to put an end to that under the lights in Providence. The Harvard players certainly are aware of the importance of the match. After all, they have been waiting a year for this weekend.

“We know that our season is in the balance,” Sager said. “We have to beat Brown. It’s the biggest game of the season.”

—Staff writer Jay M. Cohen can be reached at jaycohen@fas.harvard.edu.