Women's Soccer Faces Tough Defensive Test Versus Cornell

Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.

Something will have to give this weekend, when the Harvard women’s soccer team and its leading scorer, junior forward Midge Purce, meet the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense when it travels to Cornell on Saturday.

The current Ivy League Player of the Week, Purce is coming off of a two-game spell in which she tallied four of the Crimson’s last six goals. Her hat trick propelled Harvard (5-6-1, 2-0-0 Ivy) to a 4-0 win over Yale this past weekend before Purce tallied the first Crimson goal in a 2-1 victory over Boston University on Tuesday.

“We’ve been playing much better as a team of late, and Midge is a big part of it,” Harvard coach Ray Leone said. “She had a rough start, but she’s really playing at a top level right now.”

Harvard sputtered slightly out of the gate, winning just one of its first six games against tough nonconference opposition, but it enters the weekend brimming with confidence. The team began Ancient Eight play two weekends ago with a 2-0 triumph against Penn before defeating the Bulldogs and Terriers in rapid succession on the road.

“We are very confident as a team,” junior goalkeeper Lizzie Durack said. “We go into every game confident; it has nothing to do with who we are playing. Everyone is happy, playing well, scoring goals, and we’re defending well…. At the same time, every Ivy League game is tough, and Cornell is undefeated, which is an impressive feat at this point in the season.”

The Big Red (8-0-3, 1-0-1), however, possesses an airtight defense, with junior goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney boasting a 0.086 goals-against average, the best in the nation. Cornell’s back line has conceded just one goal all season, shutting out its other 10 opponents.

Unlocking the stubborn Big Red defense will be a stern test for the Crimson attack, a group that seems to be gelling at just the right time. After scoring just twice in five games leading up to Ivy League play, Harvard has netted eight goals in its past three games.

Purce is not the only one finding her rhythm, with classmate Rachel Garcia slotting the game-winner home from 25 yards out against BU after assisting Purce on the equalizer.

Junior right back Bailey Gary has been an especially important part of the Crimson’s offensive resurgence, recording a goal and three assists in the team’s two Ivy League games. Her increased production has been part of a shift in the way Harvard has attacked, with the fullbacks pushing forward more often to link up with the wingers.

“[Gary] has had an unbelievable season so far,” Durack said. “She’s a great defender. She’s taken on more of an attacking role, and her experience in the Ivy League is really starting to show through. She’s always had it in her, but with confidence and experience, she’s showing it all now.”

Cornell’s offense, however, has not been quite as consistent as its defense, with the Big Red dropping points in a 0-0 draw at Penn last weekend. Sophomore forward Paige DeLoach and junior midfielder Elizabeth Crowell are tied for the team lead in goals with three each.

Harvard’s defense seems well-equipped to handle this weekend’s opponents, with the back four finding chemistry as the consistency of Ivy play sets in. Senior central defender Alika Keene has formed a formidable partnership with sophomore Marie Becker, supported along the flanks by fullbacks Gary and senior Brooke Dickens.

“I think we’re all just really familiar with each other,” Keene said. “We all just know how to work well together, and it comes from spending a lot time on the field together. We don’t really have to talk as much...the chemistry is finally coming together.”

Harvard continues to have a target on its back, having captured its second straight Ivy League title in 2014. The Crimson defeated Cornell, 2-0, in this fixture last season on its way to conference silverware.

“We have to bring our best because everyone that we play brings their best,” Leone said. “Our team is experienced and understands that. This is the challenge for them, to play everyone’s absolute best for seven weeks in a row. That’s what makes the Ivy League so exciting.”