Senior Hits Milestone in Weekend Wins

Despite a 2008 season in which he scored 10 goals, became the Harvard men’s soccer team’s all-time leader in points, and was named both a First-Team All American and a semi-finalist for college soccer’s top honor, Andre Akpan felt that he underachieved.

“I don’t want to say that I had a bad season, but it’s definitely something I want to improve upon next year,” Akpan said last December.

One of the main reasons for his disappointment was a slow start, in which he failed to find the net in any of the team’s opening four matches.

Now a co-captain, Akpan entered his senior campaign determined to come out of the gates firing.

So his weekend’s tally of two goals and three assists in the Crimson’s first two matches—both wins—was sure to please the striker as well as his teammates and coach.

“He’s gotten off to a hot start, and that’s what our team needs right now to get wins,” co-captain Brian Grimm said.

“Andre is a notoriously slow starter, so to get him on the board early is fantastic,” Harvard coach Jamie Clark said. “We know he always comes good in October, but this will be a huge boost for him.”

The first half of the Crimson’s opening match against Stony Brook was a struggle for the Harvard offense. The second half, though, belonged to Akpan. With the score knotted at one, the Grand Prairie, Texas native stepped up his game and led the Crimson to victory, scoring twice and adding an assist.

Five minutes into the second half, Akpan gave Harvard the lead when he found the bottom right corner following a free kick right outside the penalty box. Too close to the goal to be able to shoot over the wall, Akpan coolly curled the ball around it, placing it perfectly into the side netting.

His second came just three minutes later when he found some space in the box and latched onto a cross from the right side, heading the ball powerfully past the Stony Brook keeper.

Akpan added an assist in the victory on Friday, and continued to set up his teammates in Monday’s 2-0 win over Boston College.

In the 22nd minute, Akpan made a run into the box and found freshman Scott Prozeller, who opened the scoring against the Eagles. Right before halftime, the Crimson added a second, when Akpan’s one-touch play allowed sophomore Jamie Rees to score his first goal in a Harvard uniform.

The seven points that Akpan collected from the two games took him past the century mark in career points, and he now sits at 104. For his weekend’s efforts, Akpan was named the Ivy League’s Co-Player of the Week.

The accolade is just the most recent of a long list that he has already accumulated this year. After being named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy—awarded to the top collegiate soccer player—last season, the Missouri Athletic Club put Akpan on its watch list for this season. Akpan was also named in College Soccer News’ Preseason All-America First Team and Soccer America’s Preseason All-America Team, and was tabbed by ESPN as a top contender for the Hermann Trophy.

Akpan came back to campus looking particularly sharp following a summer in which he played for the Chicago Fire’s Premier Development League squad.

“Andre put a lot of work in this summer playing at a really high level, and it’s carried over and he’s gotten off to a hot start,” Grimm said. “He’s working well with the other people he has playing around him and it’s resulted in a lot of success for him and the team.”

Grimm and the rest of the squad are now hoping that Akpan’s fast start will continue. Of course, they will be expecting nothing less, given all of the co-captain’s accomplishments over the past three years.

“It’s an honor to have been able to have done what I’ve done so far, and I hope to keep it going,” Akpan said.

Akpan next takes the field Friday as the Crimson faces Boston University at 4 p.m. on Ohiri Field.

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