Men's Soccer Heads to New Haven

It may not be “The Game,” but it’s certainly a big one for the Harvard men’s soccer team.

The Crimson (1-5-2) opens Ivy League play this Saturday evening against archrival Yale (1-6) at Reese Stadium in New Haven. Both teams have struggled thus far with only one win each, and a victory this weekend could create a momentum shift for either squad.

In their 2012 conference opener, neither team could find the back of the net as the game ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtime periods.  Harvard controlled the second half of the contest, but it was not enough to get past an impenetrable Bulldogs defensive front.

Despite last year’s tie, the Crimson leads the historic rivalry, 51-37-11, since the teams first faced each other in 1907.

“It’s the Harvard-Yale rivalry, so both teams are pretty amped up and excited from the start,” senior defender Ross Friedman said. “It’s been close every year I’ve been a part of it.”

Harvard is coming off a 1-0 loss to St. Francis last weekend where the Crimson defense allowed the decisive goal off a corner kick early in the first half. Despite going down early, Harvard created a number of scoring opportunities they failed to capitalize on.

“Our defense held strong,” senior midfielder Kevin Harrington said. “We just had one slip up… We’ve been in pretty much every single game so far. We couldn’t put away the opportunities we had to win.”

Although the Crimson’s defense has often been able to keep the games close, an inability to finish on the offensive end has put Harvard on the losing end of five of their first seven games.  Out of 93 total shots, only 39 have been on goal, resulting in only six Crimson scores.

“Something we’re working on is connecting passes in the final third and bringing it all together,” Friedman said. “We create so many chances off set pieces, corner kicks, and other opportunities. Our focus is to take it to that next step. We’re looking for some guys to step up and put the ball in the back of the net because we’re doing everything to get up to that point.”

Yale has had a similar experience, struggling offensively while succeeding on defense.  Except for a 3-1 loss to UC Santa Barbara, all of its losses have been within one goal. The Bulldogs’ offense, however, has been unable to score in four of seven games so far in the 2013 season, and only twice has it been able to score more than once in a match.

Of the Ancient Eight, Harvard is last in both goals scored and shooting percentage, while Yale takes a close seventh in the two categories. The Bulldogs are also coming off of a 1-0 nonconference loss to Quinnipiac in which an early goal was the deciding factor. Yale had a scoring opportunity off a corner kick in the last minute, but it was unable to connect in its sixth loss of the season.

Despite struggling thus far in the 2013 season, the Crimson is optimistic about its chances this weekend against the rival Elis.

“It definitely is a game I think we can win, and we’re expecting to win,” Harrington said. “It’s just going to take a special effort to put the ball in the net.”

Friedman and Harrington both noted the necessity of keeping possession and maintaining the Harvard style of play.

“Dealing with [Yale’s] high pressure will be a high priority for this week’s preparation,” Harrington said. “It’s win or go home for the most part at this point.”

This will be Yale coach Brian Tompkins 18th Harvard-Yale game, whereas Crimson coach Pieter Lehrer will be facing the Bulldogs for the first time at the helm of the Harvard squad. Both coaches acknowledged that the matchup between rival schools brings a special excitement beyond just a regular conference game.

“You can really sense the excitement that the rivalry brings out,” Lehrer said. ”I don’t think it matters what anyone’s record is. It’s always an important game and it’s always going to be a close game.”

“The Yale-Harvard rivalry is a special one because of the schools’ histories and the special similarities and differences we have,” Tompkins added. “Regardless of the sport or the event, it’s a big game that neither school wants to lose. Saturday’s game kicks off what promises to be an exciting Ivy League season, and the fact that it’s a rivalry game makes it even more special. I’m sure it will be close and tightly contested.”