Men’s Soccer Ends Season with Upset Win at Penn

It took the squad 15 games to do it, but for the first time since Sept. 6, the Harvard men’s soccer team finally scored more than one goal in a contest, knocking off No. 18 Pennsylvania, 2-1, in its season finale.

“I thought it was our most complete game of the year,” co-captain Rob Millock said. “I thought guys stepped up and really rose to the challenge. In terms of our last game, it was a great way to leave.”

After scoring five goals in its first two matches, the Crimson (5-7-5, 2-3-2 Ivy) moved up to No. 6 in the national rankings in mid-September. After that, the season took a turn for the worst, as the Crimson won just two of its next 14 games, twice losing star forward Brian Rogers to injury in the process.

But on Saturday in Philadelphia, the team was able to snap a six-game winless streak and send its seniors out on a high note, as junior defenseman Tim Linden’s double-overtime goal in the 108th minute gave the Crimson its second victory against a ranked team this season.

“It felt good, kind of bittersweet,” Rogers said. “After you put together a performance like that, it’s tough because you have to come to the realization that the season’s over, and I think we were just starting to play the best we had since the beginning of the year.”

The Quakers (12-5-0, 5-2-0) had the game’s first great scoring opportunity early in the first half, but Crimson sophomore goalie Brett Conrad denied Penn forward Christian Barreiro with a diving save to his right on a shot fired through traffic.

Barreiro made up for that soon after. The junior took a string of passes from teammates Loukas Tasigianis and Travis Cantrell and scored from 25 yards out, beating Conrad to put Penn up, 1-0, at 39:01.

But the Crimson struck right back just 2:15 later, when Rogers took a pass from Linden and crossed the field from left to right at the top of the box. The sophomore then fired a shot on net, beating Quaker goalie Ben Berg into the top right corner at 41:16.

“Penn had just scored, so I thought it was important that we respond early,” said Rogers, who finished the season as the team leader with five goals.

Harvard came out on the attack in the second half, but Berg made saves on shots by sophomore Zack Wolfenzon and junior Baba Omosegbon to keep the game tied.

After nobody was able to get on the board for the remainder of the period, the match went to overtime, and Conrad raised his game for the occasion.

In the first OT, the Harvard keeper made two big saves on shots by Quakers Nick Unger and Stephen Baker, keeping the Crimson’s hopes alive.

Near the end of the first overtime period, Penn had a great chance to win. With the clock winding down in the period, a Barreiro shot beat Conrad but just missed wide left, sending the game into a second extra session.

“I thought Brett was incredible,” Millock said. “He’s worked really hard for the past year-and-a-half...I’m really happy for him.”

With under two minutes to go in the second overtime, freshman forward Connor McCarthy set up a two-on-one with Linden down the left side. McCarthy sent a pass to Linden, who fired a one touch shot past Berg for the game-winner. It was Linden’s first goal of his career.

“To have gotten a tie going down to Penn wouldn’t have been a bad result,” Rogers said. “But I think we all felt like we deserved a win, and that would have been the story of the season, that we kept tying games we should have won. So I think Tim getting that goal really ended our season on the right note.”

Conrad made seven saves in the victory, while Berg made four for the Quakers in defeat. The teams each took 14 shots in a physical game that saw 36 fouls (24 by Harvard) and eight yellow cards. With the win, Harvard finished the year tied for fifth in the Ivy standings.

Despite the disappointing season, seniors Shomesh Chaudhuri, Alex Chi, James Pelletier, and co-captains Millock and Jaren LaGreca finished their Harvard careers with a positive showing.

“It really validated everything that we’ve been saying all year long that we were one of the most talented teams, if not the most talented team in the Ivy League,” Rogers said. “Its encouraging going forward...everyone’s really optimistic and can’t wait to get back into the swing of things, offseason workouts.”

“For the senior class, it gives them a nice last memory of their college careers, so it’s all anyone could have asked for to finish the season,” he added.

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.