Johnson Free Kick Powers Harvard to Ivy League Title

Every championship team needs players who can make the big plays when it counts the most. Adam Vinatieri’s last-second field goals for the Patriots, Dirk Nowitzki’s buzzer-beating jumpers for the Mavericks, and most recently, David Freese’s home runs to help the Cardinals win the World Series.

For its game against Dartmouth last Saturday, the Harvard women’s soccer team looked to sophomore midfielder Peyton Johnson to provide the late game heroics.

With 10 seconds remaining in a 1-1 game, Johnson drilled a 28-yard free kick that beat the wall and the goalkeeper, giving the Crimson the 2-1 win.

The result, along with Penn and Brown’s 0-0 tie later in the day, assures Harvard at least a share of the Ivy League title and a place in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

For Johnson, winning the Ancient Eight crown, something the Crimson did not do last season, has always been the goal.

“All the freshmen and sophomores look longingly at the upperclassmen’s rings from their freshman or sophomore years,” Johnson said.  “We have always wanted one of our own. This season has been a great one, and to cap it off with getting a ring is huge.”

Before Harvard’s win Saturday, the standings at the top of the Ivy League were tight. With the Quakers and Bulldogs nipping at its heels, the team knew how crucial this game would prove for its season.

“The Ivy League is interesting because we do not have a [conference] tournament, so each game is like a playoff game,” co-captain Lindsey Kowal said. “We knew we needed a win because Penn was right behind us by one point. We had no room for error.”

Under steady rain, the game went into halftime level and looked destined for overtime before a Big Green foul 10 yards outside the box set up Johnson’s free kick.

The midfielder guided the ball over the wall of Dartmouth defenders and past diving freshman goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders, a member of England’s U-19 National Team who has never lost a game in international competition.

“[Saunders’ record] just shows that regardless of who she is going up against, Peyton can deliver,” Kowal said.

As the ball passed Saunders, a wave of emotion hit Johnson.

“It was almost disbelief,” the sophomore said.  “I remember seeing the net ripple, and then turning around and freaking out. I don’t think I processed the gravity of it.”

This last-second goal was not Johnson’s first game-winner of the season. The sophomore fired a penalty kick past Yale in overtime earlier this month to gain another crucial league win.

But Johnson was quick to credit her teammates for those successes.

“The fact that I had the game winners [against Yale and Dartmouth] is not the important thing,” Johnson said. “They were both late goals, and there was a whole 90 minutes before them that paved the way. They were also both 2-1 games, so someone else scored first, and that gave me the chance to do my best for the team.”

An ever-present part of the squad, Johnson has played in all 16 games for the Crimson this season, starting in 15. Tied for third on the team with 13 points, Johnson has tallied four goals in total this season and three assists, two of which came in September’s 2-0 win over reigning Ivy League champs Penn.

That game, Harvard’s first conference match of the year, set the tone for the season as the Crimson has gone undefeated in league play (5-0-1) and undefeated in general play since Sept. 18.

“Peyton has a huge presence on the team,” Kowal said. “Not only does she play a position that controls the tempo of the game, but also her personality is addictive. She’s a very emotional player, which helps raise the level of our team … Her confidence is unparalleled.”

In anticipation of the season’s final Ivy League match-up at Columbia this Saturday, Johnson said that she and her teammates are going into the game in a unique position.

“It’s an interesting balance of a lack of pressure and complete pressure, because we’ve already secured the championship and the NCAA berth,” she said.

But despite their comfortable position, Johnson stated that Harvard will come out fighting on Saturday.

“We set the goal to be undefeated in the conference,” Johnson said.  “We have a chance to do that, and we’re definitely not resting on our laurels. Hopefully we finish undefeated, because [being] 6-0-1 would be awesome.”