Soccer Bounces Back With Victory at UMass

After a slow start so far this season, the Harvard women’s soccer team may have found the spark it needs heading into the heart of Ivy League play.

Riding three early scores and a strong performance from freshman goalkeeper Jessica Wright, the Crimson (3-4-1, 0-1 Ivy) snapped a string of losses, coming away with a 3-2 win on the road yesterday against University of Massachusetts (3-6) at Rudd Field.

“I think it was a really good win for us at a crucial part of our season,” co-captain Katherine Sheeleigh said. “I think a lot of things came together today. We’re just going to try to build on them.”

Junior Melanie Baskind scored the critical goal for Harvard late in the first, breaking a 2-2 tie and setting up Wright and the Crimson defense to preserve the victory—only Harvard’s second in its last six games.

UMass attempted four shots on goal in the second half, but Wright—filling in for injured sophomore AJ Millet—deflected them all.

“[Wright] was put in a tight spot,” Baskind said. “She’s stepping up. She’s in there, and she’s confident. She’s filling the hole for us and doing her best, and we’re behind her.”

“She had a really good second half,” Sheeleigh echoed. “I think the relationship with [Wright] and the back line is getting stronger.”

While Wright’s play in net and Harvard’s defense was the story of the second half, offense was not lacking for either team in the first.

The Crimson got off to a hot start, notching two scores in the first 10 minutes to take the early lead.

Harvard failed to capitalize on its first scoring opportunity—a corner kick less than two minutes into the contest—but the team was not denied for much longer.

Sheeleigh found the back of the net in the ninth minute, and freshman Peyton Johnson followed suit just one minute later, giving the visitors the commanding 2-0 lead.

Sheeleigh opened the scoring with her fourth tally of the season, taking a pass from Baskind inside the box and then beating Minutewoman keeper Emily Cota.

Johnson scored Harvard’s second goal without any assistance, firing a shot from 15 yards out that found the bottom left corner of the goal.

But the Crimson’s 2-0 lead proved to be insecure.

After UMass’s first six shot attempts were off their mark, the Minutewomen began to light up the scoreboard.

Therese Smith got the scoring started for the home team in the 18th minute, taking a deep shot that bent past Wright.

Before Harvard could recover, UMass struck again, as Kayla Austin received a pass 20 yards out and then finished with the equalizer in the 22nd minute.

Harvard had two chances to regain the lead shortly thereafter, but an offside call against the Crimson squandered the first opportunity, and a shot from freshman Elizabeth Weisman went wide, keeping the score even.

But Baskind broke the tie in the 31st, finishing a cross from Weisman for her third goal of the weekend.

“Her goal couldn’t have come at a more important time,” Sheeleigh said. “She’s been playing so great and connecting with the other forwards really well.”

But with two-thirds of the game still left to play, it was the Crimson defense’s turn to step up. The back line did its job for the remainder of the first, as UMass registered just one shot in the final 25 minutes of the period.

The second half was a different story, as the Minutewomen had numerous opportunities to score—earning four corner kicks and taking six shots–but were unable to get the ball past Wright.

“I think our back line and our goalkeeper have been under a lot of pressure,” Baskind said. “UMass was very direct, they tend to bring a lot out of you...[But] our defense played well, and it was a good win. Hopefully we can use this moment going into our preparation for Yale next week.”

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.