Women's Soccer Heating Up at Right Time

Coming off of a slow start to the season, the Harvard women’s soccer team has picked up the pace, earning its fifth consecutive victory with a win at Central Connecticut State on Sunday evening.

After falling in its first two games of the season in California, the Crimson returned back East in hopes of turning things around on its own turf. After losing its home game opener to New Hampshire, 2-1, it looked as if the Harvard squad was falling quickly down a slippery slope. In its first three contests, despite dominating possession, the Crimson offense failed to connect on goal. Harvard tallied a whopping 21 shots against the Wildcats—12 of which were on frame—yet somehow only managed to net just a single goal. New Hampshire, on the other hand, had only two shots on net and converted on both against the Crimson.

Harvard was controlling possession—sometimes even dominating play—but the team was not winning. Missed opportunities added up against the Crimson in its first three matches.

But the losing streak was near its end. Although Harvard did not clinch a victory in its fourth match—a 1-1 stalemate versus Providence—the team managed to break the curse. Again, despite an even score, the Crimson outnumbered the Friars in shots, 26-10. Placement proved to be an issue for Harvard, as the Providence goaltender added 11 saves to her repertoire by the end of the night.

With a stacked recruiting class and returning lead scorer junior Meg Casscells-Hamby, Harvard promised a positive start to the season—heading winless into its fifth game was definitely not part of the game plan.

So when the Crimson headed into a week of three home games, the team’s physical and mental strength was tested. Once Harvard snagged its first season win against LIU Brooklyn, 1-0, the squad was finally able to translate its ball possession to the scoreboard.

Since that first win, the Crimson is undefeated, notching an impressive 12 goals and only allowing one goal against over the span of five games. And while its victories over LIU Brooklyn, Rhode Island, and UMass Lowell bettered the team’s overall record, the most notable win came against Penn, by a score of 2-1, in Harvard’s first Ivy League match.

The new class of nine freshmen were said to have integrated quickly into the Crimson lineup, but perhaps the first win against the Blackbirds marked the moment when the team finally meshed as a whole. Two of its three goals against LIU and Rhode Island came from rebounded offensive shots, demonstrating the squad’s shift towards capitalizing on its opportunities.

The freshmen have stood out offensively and defensively in the team’s recent surge.

On the defending end, rookie defender Bailey Gary has started in each of Harvard’s nine contests. Gary’s speed has proved to be crucial to the Crimson defense, particularly on the wings. Her composure on the back line has allowed the freshman defender to play to outside midfielders’ feet rather than losing possession from a frantic long kick into pressure or out of bounds. The defender has even registered eight shots on goal this season.

Forward Midge Purce leads Harvard in goals and points with five and eleven, respectively. The freshman has notched two game-winning goals. Her trademark is her quick and dexterous footwork, which often leaves two or even three defenders in the dust. Often attacking from the corners, Purce likes two split two defenders and take the ball inside the 18-yard box for a shot.

Other notable freshmen standouts include goalkeeper Lizzie Durack, forward Karly Zlatic, and forward Joan Fleischman. Durack has seen action in four games, starting in two, and achieved two shutouts this season against LIU Brooklyn and CCSU. Zlatic and Fleischman have pocketed two and one goal, respectively. Zlatic follows Purce in points, registering four for the season.

While the freshmen have stolen much of the spotlight, veteran Crimson players remain essential in each zone of the field.

Co-captain Peyton Johnson has displayed her usual playmaking skills as both a midfielder and a defender this season, starting all nine games and leading the team in assists. The team’s other co-captain, forward Lizzy Weisman, has notched a goal and an assist of her own.

The defense is led by junior defender Erika Garcia and junior goalkeeper Bethany Kanten. Garcia has started in each of the season’s matches thus far, and Kanten has grabbed four starts of her own in goal.

With a five-game win streak going and an untarnished Ivy Record thus far, Harvard has the momentum it needs heading into its match against Yale on Saturday.

—Staff writer Kelley Guinn McArtor can be reached at kelley.mcartor@thecrimson.com Follow her on Twitter @KGMCrimson.