Men's Soccer Extends Win Streak to Eight

Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Harvard men’s soccer team took a break from its conference schedule to welcome Holy Cross to Soldiers Field Wednesday night.

In a contest where 23 different members of the Crimson took the field, Harvard (8-3-0, 2-0-0 Ivy) utilized a trio of second half-goals to keep that streak alive, cruising to a 3-0 victory.

“There’s been some guys that haven’t gotten a ton of minutes so far this season, and they stepped in tonight to play a lot of minutes and did extremely well out there,” said associate head coach Jonathan Delano. “When you have every player fighting for time on the field, it only makes the whole team better.”

Nonetheless, even in a game where Harvard’s depth was the center of attention, it was a pair of regulars who sealed the win for the Crimson.

After most of the Harvard starters appeared to be done for the day following early substitutions, head coach Pieter Lehrer and the coaching staff elected to go back to their first eleven at halftime.

And less than two minutes into the second frame, their decision paid off. Initiating the attack, sophomore midfielder Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu eluded a defender along the left side of the pitch before sending a cross to the far post.

On the receiving end, junior midfielder Matt Sheeleigh lunged at the ball, causing it to bounce in the direction of junior forward Oliver White, who directed it past the keeper to put the Crimson on top.

“The players came up with [the decision],” Delano said. “They said to us that we needed a spark—that there needed to be more energy out there on the field from the first minute to the 45th minute. We wanted to put that spark into the game, so we decided to do it going into the second half.”

The choice continued to pay dividends later on, as Harvard added an insurance goal in the 56th minute courtesy of junior midfielder Tim Schmoll.

Just as he had done a few minutes prior, Wheeler-Omiunu got the attack started, this time finding junior midfielder Andrew Chang sprinting up the left wing. All alone, Chang entered the box, drawing the keeper towards the near post.

Seeing this, Chang lofted a cross through the box to an unmarked Schmoll, who headed the ball into the virtually empty net for his second goal of the season.

“I wanted a goal for a while,” Schmoll said. “The chances have been there, and that’s all credit to the guys on the wings crossing the ball in…. Chang got me into the easiest position possible to score. That wasn’t my goal; that was everyone else’s.

On the other end of the pitch, the Crimson back line held the Crusaders (5-5-2, 2-2-0 Patriot) to just two shots on goal, en route to its third consecutive clean sheet. With junior co-captain Mark Ashby playing limited minutes, senior Tyler Evans was in control, playing alongside some unfamiliar faces, including forward Tyler Savitsky.

“We have a lot of athleticism across the back line,” Delano said. “We have the flexibility to play quite a few players across that back line. I think it just speaks to how strong the group is that we can plug different players in, and we don’t miss a beat.”

Coming off the bench for the first time this season, junior defender Phil Fleischman tacked on a third goal in the 72nd minute. Following a defensive play by freshman defender Eric Gylling to save a goal, freshman midfielder Nate Devine launched a counter attack that resulted in the junior converting from 18 yards out. Crimson goalies Joe Festa and Evan Mendez held Holy Cross scoreless for the squad’s third shutout of the season.

“I think everyone is ready to step up at any moment,” Schmoll said. “A starter one day can sit on the bench the next day, and vice versa. Everyone has the utmost confidence in the guy that’s next to him on the field and the guy that’s next to him on the bench.”

—Staff writer Jake Meagher can be reached at jmeagher@college.harvard.edu.