Harvard Comes Through in Crucial Home Contest

It was a must-win game.

While a regular season game is almost always must-win, it’s rare to find a preseason game that matters as much as Friday’s women’s soccer game. With a three-game losing streak behind them and the Ivy League season ahead, Harvard (2-3-1) came out Friday night to face University of Rhode Island (0-6-1) in a battle under the lights.

“Massive, absolutely massive,” junior Melanie Baskind explained. “We needed to get a win tonight. Lost three straight before this, so we couldn’t ask for anything better than the result we got.”

The result was a 2-1 victory for the Crimson, led by goals from co-captain Katherine Sheeleigh and Baskind. Coming off a third-consecutive loss on Friday against cross-town rival BU, Harvard displayed a needed sense of urgency against the Rams.

“I mean, [the emotion] hasn’t been there really in any of our games,” Harvard coach Ray Leone said. “Just playing this game, emotionally we were there. Our backs were against the wall and we knew it.”

The game began with plenty of opportunities on both sides of the field starting with junior Rebecca Millock’s penalty shot for the Crimson after refs called a handball on URI inches outside of the box.

“They were really the complete opposite from BU,” Baskind said. “They didn’t even really attempt to string together passes, it was all long balls. They played very direct so our back line was getting run at the entire game. It was a big change, and we adjusted well. We matched their intensity.”

While Millock’s shot soared inches above the crossbar, another opportunity for Harvard arrived when sophomore Aisha Price took a long shot that again crossed just above the bar and Rams goalie Sasha Reiber’s hands.

It wasn’t until four minutes before halftime when Harvard got a goal on the board. Price, known for her booming throw-ins, created confusion in front of URI’s Reiber with a throw-in that bounced off players from both teams before hitting Baskind’s cleat and the back of the net.

“I think it was just chaos,” Baskind said. “We were very excited about scoring off of the throw-in because [Price’s throw-in] is obviously a dangerous weapon that we have...I think it was just a scramble. I don’t know, just ball banging around, [then onto my] back heel, ends up in the back of the net.”

As halftime ended, the Rams took the field ready to respond to the Crimson’s 12-8 shot advantage. URI’s Stephanie Santos sent a pass that landed on the foot of Kaylen Shimoda. Shimoda’s blast from 20 yards out, her third goal of the season, flew above the reach of Crimson freshman goalkeeper Jessica Wright.

Wright, who played against BU on Thursday, had a better game against the Rams, making five saves on the night while conceding just the one score. According to Leone, Wright, who earned her first career win, will continue to switch on-and-off with sophomore AJ Millet throughout the season.

Tied at one goal apiece with 30 minutes left, the Crimson knew from experience that it was time to act. For a surprised crowd, it only took 38 seconds until Sheeleigh netted the winning goal.

“A quick little ball through the middle on a breakaway and Sheeleigh tucked it home,” Leone said. “It was awesome.”

“I think if you look at a lot of our games this year, either for or against us the goals have come in bunches,” Baskind said. “We’ve been more aware that when we get scored against, the next five minutes are massively important. Sheeleigh is a very dangerous player, so I wasn’t surprised she capitalized so quickly.”

Harvard’s defense remained solid for the remainder of the contest, locking down a Rams offense that took 10 shots in the second half. With 29 seconds remaining, URI took its last chance off of a corner kick, with goalie Reiber running down the field to help. But as time struck zero, the Crimson had the win.

“We’ve been trying to find our identity,” Leone remarked after the game. “Every year is different and so we knew Ivy Leagues were coming, and we just wanted to have a good game before, so this was really important.”

As preseason ends, play against the Ancient Eight begins. First up, the Penn Quakers, who own a 3-2-0 record with all the wins coming via shutout. After losing to BU last year and bouncing back to beat Penn, 3-2, Harvard hopes to keep this year’s winning momentum going.

“People just did their jobs today. Everyone played their part, and it worked out for us,” Baskind said. “Now we’re just looking forward to the Ivy League season.”

—Staff writer Alex Sopko can be reached at sopko@fas.harvard.edu.