Women's Soccer Takes Down Brown, Earns 12th Straight Ivy Win

Junior forward Emily Mosbacher scored early, sophomore forward Midge Purce scored late, and the Harvard women’s soccer team continued its run of Ivy League dominance with a 2-0 win over Brown in Providence, R.I., on Saturday.

With the victory, the Crimson (8-3-2, 3-0-1 Ivy) extended its 12-game unbeaten streak in Ancient Eight play that stretches back to 2012. The team currently leads the Ivy League by three points.

“We were only halfway through until last night,” Harvard coach Ray Leone said. “Now, we’re finally on the other side…. It’s time to regroup, take stock of where we are, and finish off the final stretch.”

Harvard dominated all statistical aspects of the matchup against the Bears (5-6-3, 0-2-2). Over the course of the game, the Crimson badly outshot the hosts, 24 to eight. Corner kicks were similarly unbalanced, as Harvard tallied 11 to Brown’s three. But gritty play from the Bears kept the score close and the match undecided until the final minutes.

“[Brown had] good defending and good goalkeeping,” Leone said. “It was physical…. I was proud of how our team responded to that.”

It didn’t take long for Harvard to get on the board. In the 11th minute, junior midfielder Haley Washburn played in a corner that found Mosbacher’s head for a near-post finish. The goal was the Woodside, Calif. native’s fourth on the season.

“It was a great finish and perfect ball sent in,” Leone said. “That definitely helped open up the game a little bit more.”

After Mosbacher’s goal, the Crimson put steady pressure on the Bears’ defense. Between the 17th and 37th minute, Harvard recorded nine shots, while Brown could not muster one.

Purce, who leads Harvard in goals with five, iced the win with an 87th minute score. After receiving a short pass from senior midfielder Meg Casscells-Hamby, Purce dribbled through the Brown defense and sprinted for goal. Her breakaway finish destroyed any Brown hopes of forcing overtime with a score.

In what is becoming a refrain for the season, Harvard’s defense clamped down on the Bears’ attack for most of the game. Senior goalkeeper Cheta Emba parried four Brown shots on the way to her fourth shutout of the year. As a team, the Crimson defense has prevented its opponent from scoring in nine of 13 games this season.

“We don’t let our guard down no matter the time or the score of the game,” co-captain Marie Margolius said. “Defending well starts from the front line, and as a team we are committed to defending all over the field, which makes [the job of] the back line easier.”

The game took a physical turn in the first minutes of the second half, with both teams racking up several fouls. Around the 60th minute, the Bears put sustained pressure on the Harvard defense with two corner kicks and several shots. But a combination of saves by Emba and defensive clearances prevented Brown from getting an equalizer.

“It was a collective thing,” Leone said. “The front line all the way to the back defending was some of the best we’ve ever done…. We only had [six fouls]. That states how well our feet were moving and how in control we were.”

After Purce scored, Brown did not create any dangerous opportunities. In fact, it was Purce who had a chance to add another goal in the 88th minute, when she notched her third shot on target.

With three games remaining, Harvard holds the lead in the conference standings by three points. But the final stretch of league play will test the Crimson as it faces off against Columbia, Princeton, and Dartmouth, respectively the second, third, and fourth-place teams in the Ivy League.

“Going into the final three games, our mindset is the same as it has been,” Margolius said. “We are going to keep our energy and determination high and never get complacent because anything can happen in the Ivy League at any point in the season.”