Harvard Downs UNH for First Win of Season

The third time seems to be the charm for the Harvard women’s soccer team. Last season, it put a goal on the board in each of its first two games at the Hartford Invitational, but couldn’t grab a victory until its third contest against Northeastern. The formula has held true again this season: the Crimson (1-2-0, 0-0 Ivy) sputtered on offense in two matchups in California last weekend, but notched its first goal—and its first victory—in its third game of the 2008 season with a 1-0 win over New Hampshire (1-4-1, 0-0 America East) Wednesday night at Bremner Field in Durham, NH.

The likely explanation? Negotiating play with new teammates, especially on the offensive end. After mustering 12 shots combined in two losses last weekend, the Crimson had 19 cracks and its first goal of the season Wednesday.

That first tally came off the foot of sophomore Katherine Sheeleigh, Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Crimson scoring leader a year ago. Katherine Kuzma, another one of the valuable rookies that helped push Harvard to its 10-win season last year, picked up the assist on Sheeleigh’s game-winner.

Junior Laura Dale started the game and played the first half in net before giving way to All-Ivy classmate Lauren Mann, who started every game in goal last season.

“We’re just trying to keep everyone fresh,” Leone said of his decision to give Dale the first real playing time of her collegiate career. “Last year [Mann] got banged up a little at the end of the season, and no one was ready. We don’t want to do that again, and Laura has improved so much.

“We’re almost treating [Mann] like a baseball player,” Leone continued. “We’re playing so many games, and you need one off every once in a while. She was a pinch-hitter [Wednesday].”

After witnessing the transition of a very large freshman class last year—and negotiating his own transition from Arizona State to a new program at Harvard—Leone now throws another group of rookies into the fray. Four freshmen started Wednesday night’s contest, with Melanie Baskind putting seven shots on goal and Patricia Yau one.

“We’re just trying to get them as much experience as possible,” Leone said. “It’s exciting to see their development after only a few weeks. We’re coming along pretty well.”

While only coming away with one goal, the Crimson sustained offensive pressure in New Hampshire’s end throughout the game—and especially early. Harvard tallied 13 shots in the opening half as Sheeleigh, Baskind, and senior Erin Wylie fired at will. Sheeleigh finally found net in the 33rd minute, taking Kuzma’s pass and beating Wildcats keeper Ally Yost low to the left from 18 yards.

The second half saw better opportunities for New Hampshire, which threatened to tie things up in the middle of the period with a flurry of shots from its front line. But Mann and her back four staved off the pressure, and Harvard controlled play for the final ten minutes to ice its first victory.

Junior Lizzy Nichols cited the communication of the defensive unit—on which she begins her third year as a starter—as a component of the game that the Crimson must improve, saying that “there are a few things we have to do to stay cohesive and on the same page as a group.”

But both she and Leone focused on the offensive side of the ball as the one that most wants progress—and the one that should see steady improvement as the Crimson begins a stretch of four games in the next eight days.

Harvard will host Davidson today and Wisconsin Sunday at Ohiri Field. The Wildcats have earned ties in each of their last three games, while the Badgers are riding a four-game win streak and are coming off an overwhelming 4-1 win over Vermont. Kickoff is scheduled for today at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.

“As we continue, we want to keep working on finishing in the final third,” Nichols said. “We need to have patience up top and that’s when the goals will start coming.”

“We only got one last night, but we created some good opportunities,” Leone added. “We’ve played good keepers so far, and another one [Wednesday]. It took a good goal to beat her.”

—Staff writer Emily W. Cunningham can be reached at ecunning@fas.harvard.edu.