Providence, Rhode Island, Sept 23
Harvard 2, Providence 1

Team records:
Harvard: 2-1-1
Providence: 2-5-0

Game Report

What's better than traveling to Providence on a damp, fall afternoon? Lots of stuff. One of them is watching Harvard beat the lowly Big East team, and another is to see Tom McLaughlin get his first two goals of the season.

It was one of Harvard's better outings. There were times during the game when you could feel the team's confidence rise, especially in the second half with Lee Williams making his first appearance of the season. The D has been good to very good so far, but Lee's leadership is valuable.

Although the physical nature of this game seemed like child's play when compared with the previous two games, it was marred by a fight in which our own Paul Cantagallo got red-carded for retaliating against a sucker punch Drew Lundquist took in the back of the head. The guy from Providence also got chucked out, and was last seen on the bench getting lashed by a Real Friar for his repeated misbehavior during the game. It included kicking Ricky Le in the stomach while he was down and after the whistle, and an assortment of other cheap shots. I have seen enough of this stuff to last me all season.

The altercation happened in the second half, with Harvard already up 1-0 on a tasty Senior Special (a Toure-Ricky-Tommy combination) that took place in the 22nd minute. The second goal came on a pass from Will Hench, which was decoyed by Richie Powell (his 1st appearance), and nailed home by Tommy.

Things got a little sloppy late in the game. With the D playing a little flat and about 6 minutes left on the clock, Providence broke through and beat Jordan Dupuis. From that point on, the game was played mostly in Harvard's end, as the boys packed it in to preserve the win. Jordan, by the way, came up with eight saves and another Velcro Moment 2 minutes into the game, snaring a hard point-blank shot that would have otherwise changed the character of the game.

The boys looked good during most of the game. Now they ready themselves for the Yale game, this Friday at 7:00 pm in New Haven. It will be a big game. More on that on our Next Game page.

Scoring
Harvard: McLaughlin (McCluskey, Le), 22:33; McLaughlin (Hench, Powell), 75:54; Providence, Acevedo (Brown) 84:00.

Season stats

Stats will be posted as soon as they are made available.