Harvard Stumbles To Loss in Storrs

The sixth-ranked Harvard men’s soccer team suffered its worst defeat of the year last night with a 4-0 loss at No. 17 Connecticut (7-2-3, 5-1-1 Big East). The Crimson (8-2-1, 1-0-1 Ivy) was shut out for just the second time this year, and it was also the first game this season in which it gave up more than one goal.

The team had only given up four goals in its 10 previous games this fall.

“[The Huskies] were opportunistic early, scored a bunch of goals, and they don’t give up goals very easily,” Harvard coach Jamie Clark said. “They’re a very stubborn team.”

Harvard managed just two shots on goal against Connecticut goalie Josh Ford, as opposed to nine for the Huskies. Connecticut’s defense held the Crimson to 12 shots total, after Harvard came in averaging almost 18 per game.

Despite holding preseason All-American midfielder Toni Stahl to just one shot on goal, the Crimson defense could not contain the Huskies.

Co-captain Andre Akpan called it a “humbling experience.”

“You don’t want these games,” Akpan said. “But they happen, and it should give us some fuel for the [next] game.”

Junior Alan Ponce and freshman Carlos Alvares did all the scoring for the Huskies, with two goals and an assist each.

The duo scored back-to-back goals in the 33rd and 34th minutes, with Ponce putting one into the top right corner and Alvarez kicking one that went off sophomore goalie Austin Harms’ extended hand and into the net.

Alvarez scored after a nice move by freshman Stephanie Diop, who dodged two defenders on the far side of the field and completed a pass to his teammate.

After that, the Huskies never looked back.

Connecticut went into the half with a 2-0 lead, then picked up where it left off.

Ponce scored again 10 minutes into the second half off a nice pass from Greg King, with a cross shot to the left of the diving Harms.

Alvarez added his second off of a give-and-go with Ponce at the 88-minute mark.

Diop had two assists for the Huskies, and Mike Pezza and Shawn Nicklaw added assists as well.

It was the Connecticut defense’s sixth consecutive shutout and ninth of the year.

“It was hard to generate offense through the midfield,” Akpan said. “That’s something we have to work on.”

Harms came into the game with four shutouts and a 0.44 goals-against average, ranking him fourth in the nation. His .862 save percentage coming in was good for 15th in the country.

Despite giving up four goals, Clark said he still had full confidence in his goalie, adding that “he made a couple of nice saves, to be honest, today.”

Akpan explained that a possible reason for the loss was an overestimation of the Huskies.

“You know, I think we maybe gave [them] a little bit too much credit,” he said. “We didn’t work the way we should’ve, didn’t play with real confidence on the ball...it was a poorly played game all around.”

It was the Crimson’s third game against a ranked opponent this season. The squad defeated then-No. 14 Boston University, 1-0, on Sept. 11, then lost to then-No. 3 Wake Forest, 1-0, on Sept. 26.

From here, things don’t get any easier for the Crimson.

Up next, Harvard faces a crucial Ivy League test as it matches up against No. 15 Brown at home on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

“We’re not a different team than we were a week ago,” Clark said. “We won’t change too much [versus Brown]. We want to get back to what we do well, which is pressuring and defending, and that will be the focus of our next two [practice] sessions.”

There will be no overestimation amongst the members of the team anymore.

“Brown’s going to be a hard working team,” Akpan added. “So we have to step up our [game] because it’s going to be a battle.”