Women's Soccer Falls to Crosstown Eagles, 2-1

It was a tale of two halves for the Harvard women’s soccer team on Wednesday night.

A dominant second half by the Crimson proved not to be enough as the team fell to Boston College, 2-1, in the team’s home opener at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium. Harvard outshout the Eagles 13-2 in the game’s final 45 minutes but could not overcome two separate one-goal deficits.

The Crimson (1-1-0) was looking to beat BC (4-1-0), one of three Power Five conference opponents on its schedule, for the first time since 2001.

Harvard is 4-2-3 all-time in home openers under coach Ray Leone. The team’s 17 total shots were the most the Crimson has had in a game since registering 24 against Brown last season.

“They’re an ACC team which means we know they’re super high-quality,” junior forward Joan Fleischman said. “It’s a great Boston rivalry and it’s fun to challenge ourselves like that. We haven’t beaten them, but we’re getting closer every year.”

From the start of the second half, Harvard dominated possession and the game’s pace. The Crimson utilized its depth and the play from its midfielders to keep the pressure on the Eagles and keep the ball out of its defensive zone.

After the first half saw both teams register only four shots apiece, Harvard was able to take control in the BC zone and pick up a second half goal for the second consecutive game.

“We really look forward to these games to get us fit, get us ready to play well at our highest level that we can come Ivy,” Washburn said.

Junior forward Midge Purce spearheaded a shift in momentum in the Crimson offense’s direction. The reigning first team All-Ivy pick left a drop pass for forward Rachel Garcia, but the Eagle defense was able to deflect the junior transfer’s shot away from the net. A free kick five minutes later sailed just above the BC net and Purce’s collision with BC senior goalkeeper Alex Johnson garnered two more scoring chances.

“We didn’t make any big changes,” Fleischman said. “I think it was more of a change in mentality, believing that we could win and having the play change with that.”

Down 1-0 to start the second half following a goal by Eagles junior midfielder Lauren Berman in the 30th minute, Harvard took seven shots, three by Purce, before Fleischman found the back of the net in the 68th minute on captain Haley Washburn’s free kick.

“Haley hit a perfect ball in and it was volleying around,” Fleischman said. “I just ran through it. [Calise] was telling me at halftime, if we’re running at the keeper, she’s not great off her line. If we had people running at her, we’re going to finish it.”

Purce began attracting more attention from BC defenders as the half wore on, but the Crimson was unable to register more than one goal. Johnson stopped five of the six Harvard shots on goal to keep the Eagles in the game.

Less than two minutes after conceding their lead, BC jumped ahead for good after a turnover in the Crimson defensive zone. Junior forward Hayley Dowd corraled the loose ball and buried a shot past junior goalkeeper Lizzie Durack.

It was one of the few mistakes that the Harvard defense made all night and the Eagles’ only real scoring chance of the second half.

“I thought our defense was a lot better,” Washburn said. “With time, naturally we’re going to get better. I just think that we’re finding more of a rhythm as a team.”

Dowd’s goal shifted the momentum in BC’s direction for the remainder of the game. While the Crimson controlled the ball for most of the game’s final 20 minutes, it generated only two shots on goal and no real scoring chances.

Leone had 15 different players log at least 10 minutes of action, but no combination could produce a second equalizer.

“We have a lot of depth on our team,” Washburn said. “We have a ton of good players and people are battling for positions right now. We’re working together, it’s been really, really good.”