News Archives

Harvard University and Harvard Soccer have announced a partial listing of their top recruits for the coming fall. These are the players who have accepted admission to Harvard's Class of 2001.

Men's Soccer
Max DePaola, midfield, Montreal, Canada (Centennial)
Matt Edwards, midfield, Penarth, Wales (Millfield)
Ryan Kelly, midfield, Springfield, Massachusetts (Cathedral)
Jeremy Kurzyniec, midfield, Gold Hill, Oregon (Phillips Andover)
Richard Powell, midfield, St. Catherine, Jamaica (Phillips Andover)

Women's Soccer
Lauren Corkery, back, Winchester, Massachusetts (Winchester)
Brooke McCarthy, back, Boulder, Colorado (Boulder)
Meredith Stewart, midfield, Holliston, Massachusetts (Holliston)

What little this correspondent knows at this time is this: Edwards was heavily recruited in the U.S. Kelly was an All America. Kurzyniec and Powell come from the strong Phillips Andover soccer program, from which sophomore Will Hench came as well.

Corkery played for Winchester, one of the top teams in the country, and was named Mass Division I Player of the Year. Stewart was Mass Division II Player of the Year. Both Corkery and Stewart play on the Boston Bolts.

Additional information on these players will be posted as we receive it, probably closer to August.

Senior Jim Quagliaroli received the John P. Reardon '60 Award, given each year to Harvard's top male scholar-athlete.

An English concentrator with a 3.70 GPA, he was awarded the prestigious James Bryant Conant Fist Prize, given for the best essay in the College on a subject of scientific interest; his essay, which explores possible explanations for dinosaur extinction, is permanently bound and housed in the Pusey Library Archives. He is perhaps the first English major to ever receive first prize in this competition.

Quagliaroli, who was a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship, was involved in community service work in South Boston and would spend several hours every week teaching, coaching, and tutoring lower income middle school and high school children in Cambridge. Steve Locker, says Jim "is the absolute best young man that I have ever had the pleasure to work with in my 16-year career. He rises above everyone else in every aspect of his personality. Every player looks up to him and attempts to emulate him."

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced the release of its Men's Academic All-America teams. Harvard placed six (6) players on the All-America team, and five (5) additional players on the All America Regional team.

Those honored are:
First team: Will Kohler.
Second team: Kevin Silva, Richard Wilmot.
Third Team: T.J. Carella, Tommy McLaughlin,
John Vrionis.
Regional: Jordan Dupuis, Ricky Le, Andrew Lundquist,
Jim Quagliaroli, Lee Williams.

Harvard had finished 12th in the final NSCAA poll, and was also honored as the men's team with the highest grade point average in all of college soccer.

Prior to this year's team, Harvard had placed only one player on the first, second, or third teams: Ramy Rajballie in 1988.

In addition, Emily Stauffer was named to the of the GTE Academic All America second team. She was also on the first team of the NSCAA All America team, announced last fall.

The Harvard women traveled to UConn today, and played in a relatively informal tournament. Using a 7 v 7 format, they tied UConn, 6-6, and defeated a boys U-17 team, 3-2.

Their final matches of the spring will be on May 3, when they play the Boston Bolts U-18 and the Massachusetts U-17. Games are from 2P to 5P in the back fields near Dillon Field House.

In Orleans, Mass., the men's soccer team played in a tournament hosted by Brandeis. In the morning match, they outplayed Babson badly, but still lost the game, 2-1. Tommy McLaughlin scored in the first half, while Babson's only two second half shots came on rare defensive miscues, producing two goals within a minute of one another. In spite of the loss, the boys played well, with several players who hadn't seen much playing time last year getting to show their stuff.

In the afternoon game, Harvard met the other loser, Boston University, again outplaying them and controlling the ball and tempo, but managing only a tie, 1-1. Alan Bengzten put it in early on a feed from McLaughlin. They took this game a bit more seriously than the Babson game.

Shot of the day: Lee Williams ripping a free kick from about 30 yards out, hitting the bottom of the crossbar, but bouncing out. Harvard couldn't collect on a number of good chances in both games, but that will come. (They had played outdoors once this spring.)

I liked what I saw. Lots of players had good games. For whatever it's worth, Babson beat Brandeis in the winner's game, 2-1.

We have added the profile on senior Jim Quagliaroli, written by Marvin Pave of The Boston Globe. It's a story on one of the team's previously unheralded stars. Click here is you missed it the first time around.

In its first ever draft, Major League Soccer's NY-NJ Metrostars picked Harvard All-American Will Kohler. He was the team's second pick, and the 15th pick overall.

Senior Will Kohler will participate in the Select College All-Star Soccer Classic, to be held on February 1 and televised live that night. Game time is 8 pm. The broadcasting network is Prime, but I suggest you check your local listings.

The men's and women's soccer teams held their season closing banquets last night at The Harvard Club of Boston tonight.

At the men's dinner, several awards were announced. Rich Wilmot was voted the recipient of the Louis G. Williams Award by his teammates. Lee Williams was voted the winner of the Hamilton Fish Award. For the third year in a row, Will Kohler was voted Most Valuable Player. Outgoing captain Kohler introduced 1997 captain Tom McLaughlin. George Gibson '72 gave the seniors on the team gifts on behalf of Friends of Harvard Soccer.

The women elected captains: Emily Stauffer and Rebe Glass. Winners of the Leslie Gray Poole Award for most improved player were Becky Vieira and Devon Bingham. It was the first time since its inception in 1980 that co-winners were voted by their peers.

Will Kohler was named to the Second Team All-American team, the first Harvard player to make All-American since Nick Hotchkin in 1987. In addition, he made 1st Team Regional All-America. Tom McLaughlin was voted to the 2nd Team Regional All-America team.

The NSCAA announced today that Harvard's Emily Stauffer was named to its 1996 First Team All-America. This is the second straight year Stauffer has achieved this distinction. No other Harvard woman has ever been First Team All-America. Recently it was announced that she was also named Ivy League Player of the Year for the second straight year.

The season and record-breaking winning streak ended today
for the Harvard men at the hands of Hartford, as the visitors won in
overtime, 3-2. It was the second round NCAA tournament for each team, with
the winner going on to play the winner of the UNC/Chartlotte-Notre Dame
match.

Under wet and difficult playing conditions, and against a team that played
Harvard well (or well enough), the Crimson couldn't muster another
comeback, as they had last weekend. They fell behind after 28 minutes when
Rob Jachym scored his first of three goals, unassisted, by capitalizing on a
defensive misplay at the top of the box.

This seemed to wake Harvard up, though, and by the end of the first half they
put together several threats that were fended off by Hartford's keeper, Kevin
Henke. One was a point blank header by Will Kohler with 5 minutes to play,
another was a header by John Vrionis just a minute later.

In the second half, trailing 1-0, Harvard's Andrew Lundquist received a red
card for a breakaway foul with 18 minutes left to play. He had been playing a
fine game, and clearly the backfield unit would miss him. However, this was a
hard fought game all afternoon, and his foul deserved a red card no more than
any number of Hartford's flagrant fouls. The visitors managed about 10
yellows cards. Part of what worked for Hartford this afternoon was their
physical play.

Harvard managed to tie it up at 76 minutes played when Kohler found back
Lee Williams in front of the goal, who headed it to the far post and out of
Hinke's reach. It was Williams first goal of the year.

In overtime, Harvard started off strong, but a Hartford counterattack three
minutes into the first period put Hartford up 2-1. A minute and a half later it
was Hartford again, 3-1. Freshman Alan Bengtzen got Harvard's final goal
with a minute left in the second overtime period.

Jordan Dupuis was in goal today. Although with three goals against it wouldn't
appear that way, he played a good game in net, making a number of difficult
saves and wise decisions. He was tested more than in any other game this
season.

Harvard's season ends, as it will for every team in the tournament except one,
with a loss, and with it ends a Harvard-record-breaking winning streak (16).
More important, today was the last time we will see the senior class in the
Crimson uniforms: captain Will Kohler, Kevin Silva, Rich Wilmot,
T. J. Carella, Peter Albers, Jim Quagliaroli, John Vrionis, and Taadeh
Sheriff. Great season (one of the best ever at Harvard) and career, and best
wishes to them.

The Harvard men extended their fabulous season for at least another
game with a thrilling win over Boston University today, 3-2, at a packed
Ohiri Field. John Vrionis found the net with less than 2 minutes to play and
sent Harvard to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The Crimson, who are neither accustomed to being scored upon or trailing,
found themselves in the hole early. BU pounded Harvard from the opening
whistle, and BU's all-time scoring leader, Nick Bone, got their first goal with
less than a minute played on a corner kick play. Just as Harvard was getting
into the game, BU increased their lead to 2-0 ten minutes later on a long shot
that surprised the home team.

Harvard kept its composure, but for some time couldn't put it away. Numerous
times they took the ball from their defensive end to the BU goal, coming away
empty. The first half ended at 2-0. Harvard continued its strong play in the
second half, dominating all ends of the field, and keeping the offensive
pressure on and the ball in the BU end. For the game, Harvard outshot BU by a
wide margin: BU had allowed an average of 4.5 shots per game during its
season, but today Harvard took 27.

With just under 20 minutes to play, Kevin Silva, who starred today on the left
side, drove down the field and was chopped inside the box for an uncontested
penalty kick, which Silva himself took, right-footed, and nailed it in the left
corner of the goal. This fired up Harvard, and it didn't take long for them to
find the goal again: about a minute later, Will Kohler, dangerous all day with
his corner kick (and all-around play), found leading scorer Tommy
McLaughlin from the corner to tie the game.

At this point BU is noticeably rattled, because with the game now tied there is
little evidence that they are capable of keeping up with Harvard, much less
win the game. Still, Harvard had to put it in, which they did in a scramble in
front of the BU net with 1:45 left on the clock. John Vrionis headed it in from
short range for his second goal of the year, and a very big one indeed for
Harvard.

I heard BU coach Neil Roberts say after the game, "We didn't give it to
them---they took it away from us." A fair assessment of a contest that at times
was emotional and physical. Lots of yellow cards, but nothing terribly nasty.
This is one of Harvard's most meaningful rivalries, in my opinion, and with
this win Harvard was able to avenge their loss to BU two years ago when they
met in the first round of the NCAA tournament and their roles were reversed:
Harvard the underdog, in the game by virtue of their Ivy League championship
and in spite of a not-so-stellar overall record, and BU then one of the top
teams in the country. It also marked the second time Harvard beat BU this year,
the other time on September 25: Rich Wilmot capped that come-from-behind
victory with a goal at 88:52, oddly similar to today's finish. (Incidentally, and
partly in hindsight, that goal by Wilmot looks so big for Harvard within the
context of the 1996 season.)

Harvard extends its record winning streak to 16, and can extend that against
Hartford, the 3-2 overtime winner of its game against URI. It is likely
to be played at Ohiri Field on Sunday, December 1, at 1:00, but check back
Next Game for details and the winner's 1996 schedule tomorrow.

Incidentally, we did hear the top-ranked team in Harvard's quarter,
#2 UNC Greensboro, got knocked out by Notre Dame, 1-0. This could mean
Harvard would get the home advantage in its next 2 games, should they go that
far. In other action, top-ranked UCLA is gone, and Virginia lost to
George Mason.

The road to the Final Four in Richmond (December 13-15)
is a very tough one, but it is a fact that Harvard has the
talent to G-O A-L-L T-H-E W-A-Y. No doubt about it.
They only have to convince themselves, if they haven't already.

Two Harvard players were named the men's and women's Ivy League
Players of the Year for 1996: Will Kohler '97 and Emily Stauffer '98.

The Ivy League also announced the soccer All-Ivy teams today, and
several Harvard players received honors. Captain Will Kohler, who was
named Ivy Player of the Year, along with Tommy McLaughlin, the league's
top scorer, was a unanimous selection to the First Team. Jordan Dupuis,
who led the nation in goals against average, was the First Team goalie.

Rich Wilmot, along with three members of Harvard's awesome defense, Lee
Williams, Ricky Le, and John Vrionis, made the Second Team. Kevin Silva
received Honorable Mention.

The Ivy League first gave its first Ivy Player of the Year award in 1979, and
Kohler is the first Harvard player to receive this honor. He was also First
Team All-Ivy in 1994 and 1995, and Honorable Mention in 1993.

The women's All-Ivy teams included ten Harvard players, and two who were
unanimous choices: Emily Stauffer and Naomi Miller. Each was a First
Team member last year as well. It is Stauffer's third appearance on the All-Ivy
team, and her second as Ivy Player of the Year. Miller was last year's Rookie
of the Year, and this year led the league in Ivy scoring.

Also on the First Team were Devon Bingham and Jennifer Burney. They
were a big part of the defense which allowed only 12 goals all year, one of the
lowest goals-against averages in the country.

On the Second Team were senior forward Dana Tenser and freshman back
Jessica Larson. Receiving Honorable Mention were forward Keren
Guderman, who set a new Harvard career assist record, freshman Gina
Foster, junior Jessica Henderson, and freshman goalkeeper Anne Browning.

In its first NCAA tournament match, the Harvard men will play Boston
University at Ohiri Field. Presumably, the game would be played Sunday at
1:00 pm, but exact details will follow.

This, of course, is a match that was played earlier this season, just as Harvard
was gaining its confidence. Harvard won it, 2-1, with Rich Wilmot netting the
winner with time running out. It is also a replay of Harvard's first round match
two years ago, when it lost 2-0 to BU at Ohiri Field.

BU doesn't have a particularly good regular season record, but they are better
than that. They have a couple of players that will make this a tough game for
the Crimson. On the other hand, Harvard is playing better than they were when
they beat them earlier, and they will be playing on what the NCAA refers to as
"natural grass," not astroturf like BU's Nickerson Field.

The Ivy League announced today that Harvard's Gina Foster was last week's
Ivy League Rookie of the Week, the second time she received this honor this
fall. She had the lone goal in Harvard's tough loss to UMass. In addition,
Emily Stauffer was named to the All-New England first team. All-Ivy teams
(for men and women) will be listed here Friday.

As another example of the great job Steve Locker and Tim Wheaton have done
this year, they have combined to make Harvard one of the best soccer
programs in the country. As evidenced by the final NSCAA polls, Harvard
ranks 4th overall.

Ranked Team	Men	Women	Average
Maryland	8	9	8.5
NC Greensboro	2	15	8.5
Connecticut	17	4	9.0
Harvard	9	10	9.5
Virginia	10	13	11.5
James Madison	19	21	20.0
Evansville	20	24	22.0

In women's soccer today, Harvard's season ended with a 2-1 sudden death
overtime loss to UMass at Ohiri Field. It was their first round match in the
NCAA tournament, and a huge upset as well.

The Crimson was arguably "the better team," outshooting their opponents by a
wide margin and controlling play for a majority of the game. However, a
combination of good defense and great goalkeeping by UMass, combined with
an inability to find the goal, proved too much for Harvard. And this is soccer,
a game in which a single moment can determine the outcome, no matter who is
"better." Still, it was a heartbreaker.

Harvard went up 1-0 on a Gina Foster goal in the first half, a beauty. UMass
tied it up in the second half with a pill to the upper left corner that caught
Harvard by surprise. The Crimson persisted, though, for the remainder of the
game and into the first two 15-minute overtime periods. It included a shot by
Emily Stauffer that hit the crossbar, seemed to bounce inside the line, but
somehow came out. Other chances went just wide or fell into the hands of the
UMass goalie.

In the first sudden death overtime, it was all Harvard again, until UMass broke
down field, and saw a shot deflected into the Harvard net. Game over. For
Harvard, season over.

Let's put this in perspective, though: Harvard finishes with an Ivy League
championship and the most wins in 15 years. Their only other loss came at the
hands of 4th-ranked UConn. Post-season accolades will follow for many
members of this team. This is also a young team that can surely do lots of
damage next year, especially if its players are healthy.

As an aside, I thought the Harvard women showed lots of class at the end of
the game, as heartbreaker, as they did during the whole season.

During the past week, the women defeated Brown by a score of 3-1, while the
men took Brown, 2-1, and Hartwick, 4-1. These wins mean the 1996 team sets
a new record for most wins in a season, as well as the longest winning streak
at Harvard. I was away for these games, and will report back shortly for those
of you who may have missed the reports.

In men's soccer today, Harvard defeated Providence, 3-0, at Ohiri Field.
There is not much too say about this one except is was extraordinarily
lopsided, with Harvard playing very well, especially in the first half, creating
numerous other chances on its 34 shots, with a defense which was
impenetrable (allowing 3 shots officially, none of them a threat). Jordan
Dupuis was in goal and was credited with one save.

The first tally came at the 11th minute by Rich Wilmot, assisted by Will
Kohler and Andrew Lundquist. Two minutes later it was Kohler, from Tommy
McLaughlin. McLaughlin also got an assist on the third, at the 21st minute, on a
blast by freshman Will Hench, who had fed McLaughlin beautifully down the
right side. Hench was filling in for the still injured Armando Petrucelli. T.J.
Carella was also nursing an injury and sat out.

This is the 13th straight win for Harvard, and the second highest number of
wins ever at Harvard. The Crimson won 14 in 1987 and 1969, and 13 in 1970
and 1971: pretty good company, as those teams are generally considered the
best of all time at Harvard. Their streak is on the line again Saturday in the
second game of the Brown doubleheader being played at Ohiri Field.

The polls are out: in the latest NSCAA poll, the men are ranked 7th,
and the women are ranked 11th.

The Ivy League announced today that two Harvard players are the men's and
women's Players of the Week: Will Kohler and Devon Bingham.

Bingham had the goal of her career, a beautiful shot, under defensive (and Ivy
League title) pressure, with about 10 minutes left in a tied match with
Dartmouth. She has played the middle so well all season long, it's nice to have
her get some added recognition. Bingham's goal means Harvard will play in
the NCAA tournament, and will at least share the Ivy League title in 1996.

Kohler got some points against Fairfield on Wednesday, but played an even
bigger role against Dartmouth: his goal 5 minutes into the game and an assist
on Rich Wilmot's goal with time running out gave Harvard the victory--and
what later proved to be the Ivy League title (Cornell was tied by Brown later
in the day).

Let's start with the women: Harvard is one game ahead of Dartmouth, and at
worst will tie with Dartmouth for the title. Harvard has an easier game
(Brown) than Dartmouth (Columbia). Even if there is a tie, they get the NCAA
tournament berth because they beat the team with which they would be tied.

The men, though, is harder to explain. It's between Harvard (5-1-0), Cornell
(3-1-2), and Penn (4-2-0, and coming on strong). At worst Harvard will tie
with either of the other teams, or both. Here are the scenarios:

This discussion should be moot: on paper Harvard ought to take Brown and
win it clean.

The Harvard-Dartmouth soccer showdown lived up to its billing, and also
produced excellent results from Harvard's standpoint. In the first game, the
men won their match, 2-0, while the women took the second game of the
doubleheader, 2-1. Both games were close and exciting, and were played in
front of big crowds at Ohiri Field.

Unofficially, this means the women have clinched at least a tie for first place
in the Ivy League, but would get an automatic NCAA tournament bid even if
they end up tied with Dartmouth after next weekend. Meanwhile, my
calculations indicate the men have clinched at least a share of the title due to
the fact that Cornell played to a scoreless tie against Brown this weekend.
They can win the title outright with a win over Brown next weekend, which
they would be favored to do.

The men started off on the right note five minutes into the game when Will
Kohler rebounded a Tommy McLaughlin shot that had gone off the right post.
The rest of the half was pretty even. Dartmouth had several threats that just
didn't work out, but neither team could finish. The second half was more
Harvard than Dartmouth, but Dartmouth was never out of it. A Harvard PK
with about 20 minutes left went over the goal, but Harvard seemed to pick up
intensity rather than dwell on the missed opportunity. With about a minute to
go, Harvard was awarded a free kick just outside of the box on the right side.
Kohler kicked it toward the goal, and was deftly redirected by Rich Wilmot.

Notable game by the Harvard defense. Williams-Le-Lundquist-Vrionis-Albers
controlled the back when they had to. Special mention goes to Ricky Le, who
had the dubious pleasure of marking the dangerous Methembe Ndlovu. Le
marked him so tightly that Dartmouth temporarily moved Ndlovu back to the
midfield--where he found Ricky still next to him. Ricky was last seen boarding
the bus to Hanover. The game was physical, but clean for the most part.

The men have now won 12 in a row. According to the recordbooks, they are
just three wins from breaking the nearly 30-year-old Harvard winning streak
record of 14. More important, they are this close to winning the Ivy League
title outright.

The women had to come back from a 1-0 deficit to win their match. The
talented Melissa McBean put Dartmouth ahead at the 20 minute mark. It was
Harvard's only defensive breakdown against a team that has scored a ton of
goals. It was also before Harvard felt comfortable in the match. Emily Stauffer
hit the post later in the half, and that seemed to ignite the team. Then at the 39
minute mark, Naomi Miller caught Dartmouth's entire defense off-guard,
particularly the goalie, and nailed a shot that was taken from a different zip
code. Assist by Ashley Berman.

As happened in the UConn game, Harvard came out blazing in the second half,
and it's fair to say Dartmouth mounted no meaningful chances the rest of the
game (until the last minute of play, when a scramble developed in from of
Anne Browning's goal). Berman had a breakaway opportunity the first minute
of play, but was robbed by a good save. Stauffer again hit the post at about the
22nd minute of the half. But it was Devon Bingham who produced the winning
goal for Harvard with ten minutes left, a beautiful shot into the upper right
corner. All Harvard had to do was hang on, but tthey did better. Naomi Miller
nearly scored a minute later.

Notable games were played by Stauffer, Miller, Berman, Rebe Glass, and
especially Jessica Larson, the talented freshman sweeper back. For Dartmouth,
McBean showed why she will get her share of post-season accolades, and
Holly Thomas was solid on defense. In addition, to Dartmouth's detriment and
Harvard's benefit, Jenna Kurowski appeared hurt during much of the game. She
sat out part of it, and was not as effective as she could have been. She has had
at least two 4-goal games, but her presence was not felt today.

The women thus successfully defend their Ivy title. At worst, they will share it
with Dartmouth should they somehow lose to Brown next weekend. I do
believe this means that the women will play in the NCAA tournament. This
year is the first that the winner of the Ivy League gets an automatic tournament
bid. Last year they were overlooked (putting it nicely), so today's victory is
particularly sweet for the team.

Their last regular season match is Saturday versus Brown, 11 am, at Ohiri
Field.

There were two games played today by Harvard, and two more wins for the
Crimson. At Ohiri Field, the women defeated Providence, 7-1, while the
men beat Fairfield, 4-0, in a match played at Fairfield.

The women's scoring was evenly distributed. Ashley Berman had 2, while the
rest were scored by Stauffer, Zotter, Minkus, Blain, and Miller. Providence
(2-14-1) got its only goal on an own-goal at the 74th minute.

In Fairfield, the men took a 4-0 lead by halftime, and coasted from there. Peter
Albers was in goal, playing all 90 minutes. He made 1 save on two Fairfield
shots. Goals were scored by Tommy McLaughlin (the Ivy's leading scorer, had
two assists as well), Will Kohler, Rich Wilmot (plus two assists), and
freshman Ryan Keeton (his first Harvard career goal, also assisting on
another).

This sets up Harvard's big day on Saturday, when both Dartmouth teams will
visit Ohiri Field. On the women's side, both Harvard and Dartmouth are
undefeated. The Dartmouth men have only one loss and one tie in the Ivy
League, while Harvard has only one loss, its first game. I don't know the math,
but it is likely that if the team that wins on Saturday wins the Ivy League.

In this week's polls, the women rose one spot to #11, in spite of losing their
first game of the year (to # 4 UConn). This makes sense to anyone who saw
that great match. The men stay at #9. Each is #2 and #1 in New England,
respectively.

Naomi Miller was named this week's Ivy Player of the Week. She had the
winning goal against Princeton, and assisted on the other. This is the second
time this season that Miller has received this mention.

In addition, Emily Stauffer has been named one of 15 finalists for the
Missouri Athletic Club's Female Soccer Player of the Year award.

The latest Sagarin soccer ratings are out, and the men are ranked 15th, while
the women are 17th. The ratings represent the average schedule difficulty
faced by each team in the games that it's played so far. You can check out the
entire list by clicking here.

In women's soccer, Harvard defeated Princeton, 2-0. In a match played at
Princeton, the game was scoreless until the 79th minute, when Naomi Miller
took a pass from Devon Bingham and put it in the net. The victory was sealed
six minutes later when Dana Tenser put in a ball from Naomi Miller. More
details will appear here shortly.

Harvard is undefeated in their last 19 Ivy League games, 12-1 for the season,
5-0 in the Ivy League, and will test this streak against Dartmouth next Saturday
in the second game of the Harvard-Dartmouth doubleheader. Both teams are
undefeated in Ivy play, and the league title rests on the the result of this match.
(More on Dartmouth below.)

In men's soccer, Harvard defeated Princeton, 2-0. My sources tell me this
was a scrappy, very physical game, with lots of yellow cards given during the
match. Goals were scored by Tommy McLaughlin in the first half, assisted by
TJ Carella and Will Kohler. The second tally came from Kevin Silva, from
John Vrionis. Goalie duty was split between Jordan Dupuis and Peter Albers,
who did well.

The win (and Dartmouth's loss) puts Harvard in command of the Ivy League.
It is their tenth win in a row. Their next match is at Fairfield, which on paper
ought to be a goal-fest (last year's result was 8-0).

The first half was all UConn, the second was all Harvard. For the game,
Harvard outshot UConn, 13-12, but was outshot in the first half, 9-3. UConn
struck early (1:30 and 8:30), and it took a while for Harvard to settle down. It
took about 25 minutes of play before Harvard realized they could play with
UConn, and kept up with them for the remainder of the half.

I don't know what Tim Wheaton told the team at halftime, but he ought to write
it down: they were on fire. Naomi Miller took a pass from Keren Gudeman
(who tied the Harvard record for career assists) at the 53rd minute and put it
past UConn's second goalie. She had just come in for their starter, who went
out with an injury merely 1:30 before the goal was scored. Harvard pressed
the entire half, and as the game wound up, Miller and Bowes had big chances
that were saved. Bowes was robbed with 2 minutes left by one of the best
goalie saves I have seen in quite some time.

Conceivably, Harvard could do well in the national polls. Further, their play
in the second half ought to help their confidence. Getting a loss under their
belts, especially a non-Ivy loss, may do them some good in the long run.

Their next game is against Princeton, Saturday, 11 am. The men play that night
at 7 pm.

The men's game against Northeastern was postponed, as Ohiri Field is literally
under water. The game has not yet been rescheduled, and there is the
possibility that it may not be rescheduled at all. In addition, the big women's
game tomorrow may be in doubt. I will email you before gametime if you
write me. Otherwise, look for results on this page tomorrow.

Since there was no game today, our staff of statisticians had some extra time
on their hands, and produced the first ever combined (men's and women's)
soccer rankings. Taking the results of yesterday's NSCAA polls (we don't care
much for Soccer America's polls), we rated the eight colleges that appear on
both Top 25 soccer polls. As you can see, Harvard ranks high, and finds itself
in good company.

Ranked Team	Men	Women	Average
Virginia	1	15	8.0
Harvard	9	12	10.5
UConn	18	4	11.0
NC Greensboro	15	13	14.0
James Madison	12	19	15.5
Penn State	20	11	15.5
Wisconsin	22	10	16.0
UCLA	17	17	17.0

In the polls released today, the men's team moved up three places to #9 in the
nation, while the women moved up one notch to #12. Click Polls for the
complete cumulative listing of national and regional rankings.

In women's soccer, Harvard defeated Cal Poly - SLO, 2-1. After falling
behind early in the second half, Harvard cashed in on a penalty kick taken by
Emily Stauffer. Beth Zotter was taken down inside the box on a breakaway. At
the 58th minute, Stauffer fed freshman Ashley Berman, who headed it in for the
win. Jennifer Burney and Anne Browning combined in goal for 3 saves.

The women leave Texas with their perfect (11-0) record intact, and bring it
back to Ohiri Field Wednesday when they face #4-ranked UConn. That will be
a H-U-G-E game. We will report on it, so hit this page again later this week if
you can't be there.

This men's score just in: Penn 1, #18 Cornell 0. Harvard moves ahead of
Cornell in the Ivy League, trailing only Dartmouth (by percentage only, as they
have played fewer games). A big upset in favor of Harvard, as Cornell had to
lose an Ivy game in order for Harvard to have a shot at the title.

In women's soccer, #13 Harvard defeated Texas, 3-0. It was Harvard's fifth straight shutout. Goals by Julia Blain, from Kristen Bowes in the fifth minute, Naomi Miller, from Keren Gudeman in the twelfth minute, and Emily Stauffer, from Miller in the thirty-sixth minute. Gudeman is very close to breaking the Harvard record for career assists, and she is only a junior. I am afraid there aren't many other details that I know at this time. I did go to Harvard Square to get a Crimson, but they didn't even carry the score.

No doubt the defense is playing a big role in Harvard's success. Still, this is merely the second longest scoreless streak in Harvard history. The 1986-87 teams recorded 11 in a row over the two seasons. That is when All-America goalie and Ivy Player of the Year Tracee Whitley was in goal.

The women are now 10-0 (best start was in 1978: 12-0 before their first loss), and play in Texas again Sunday vs. Cal Poly-SLO.

Our staff of statisticians had some free time on its hands today . . . so we created an Excel spreadsheet to analyze the scoring strength of the men's team. This team has a total of 31 goals, has scored in all 10 games, and is averaging 3.10 goals per game. This is the highest per game average since the 1972 team, which averaged 3.54 goals per game. Even the great teams of the eighties that went twice to the Final Four averaged 2.56 in 1987, their best year. The record for a season is 55 goals, in 1971 (3.67 per game). Felix Adedeji had 18 alone that fall, a Harvard record. This year's team is at a pace that could very well break the record for most goals in a season (they need 25 goals in 7 games, or just over 3 per game).

Speaking of records, we have been loaned a number of photographs that hold great historical significance as far as soccer at Harvard is concerned. The collection includes some rare photos of Ohiri, Broadbent, Adedeji, and some team photos (the earliest available was the men's team of 1912!). There are a few old women's shots, but the depth is not what I would like to have found. I did find some, though, including a photo of the second women's team (1978). These will be scanned and put up during the next few weeks. Stay tuned for those additions.

If there is anyone out there with Harvard photos they would like to share with us, we would like to hear from you. Write us.

In men's soccer, #12 Harvard defeated Maine, 5-1. A solid blowout for Harvard, with Tom McLaughlin's first half hat trick, and additional goals by TJ Carella and Kevin Silva, both beauties. Will Kohler had a good game, assisting on at least two goals. The defense was rock solid, with Maine's goal coming at the end of the game and Harvard wanting to get home. (Other game details are non-existent, as my pen is evidently not designed to work in sub-arctic conditions. It was in the 30s under the lights at fabulous Deering High Stadium in Portland, Maine.)

The new polls came out, and go figure this one out: the women post two shutouts, and then drop one notch in the national rankings to #13. There must be some sort of concensus out there that says the top team rankings are spoken for, and the rest of you can slug it out. (For example, Virginia jumped ahead with their three losses during the year.)

On the other hand, the men jumped to #12 nationally, their highest ranking since the late eighties) and to #1 in New England. This seems appropriate enough. In each case, though, rankings don't mean much when it comes to tournament time, and both teams are looking to do well in it this year.

Naomi Miller is named Ivy League Player of the Week. This is no surprise to those who attended the Harvard Invitational. she scored both game winning goals in Harvard's shutouts. Miller is an strong and fearsome offensive force that is going to get big recognition when the season is over (which will hopefully be at Santa Clara in December).

At Ohiri Field today, the Harvard men's soccer team opened the first of three games and defeated Loyola, 2-0. In the second game of the Harvard Invitational, the women's team defeated Fairfield, 3-0. Cornell defeated Vermont, 2-1, in the other Invitational match.

The men played a scrappy Loyola team that seemed better than their record. Their offense was unlucky, striking the post twice during the game. However, Peter Albers played a solid and confident game in goal, and the ever-vocal Lee Williams helped control Harvard's tight defense. The scoreless tie was broken with 22 minutes left in the game on a pretty feed from Armando Petruccelli to Rich Wilmot. He blasted a difficult shot in with his left foot. The other score came with about 5 minutes remaining, with Kevin Silva placing the ball on Tom McLaughlin's foot, who shot it in.

Later in the afternoon, the women played Fairfield in the second contest of the Harvard Invitational. Naomi Miller scored first for Harvard when she headed a pass from Gina Foster into the goal. This was the game-winning goal, which she also had Friday against Cornell. The second tally came five minutes later courtesy of Emily Stauffer, assisted by Miller. The third was another header by Miller. I was only able to watch the first 20 minutes of the game (my daughter had her own game in Nashua, NH), but there was no way Fairfield could stay in this game for long. I heard the first goal as I was getting into my car (perhaps others out there have had similarly unfortunate timing . . .).

In women's soccer, Harvard defeated Cornell, 2-0. This Ivy League contest was also the second game of the afternoon on the opening day of the Harvard Invitational. In the first game, Vermont took Fairfield, 1-0.

Harvard dominated Cornell the entire game. While Harvard has numerous opprtunities to score in the first half, Cornell was harmless, and the half ended tied at nil. One of the keys was the dominant midfield play of Emily Stauffer and Devon Bingham: they owned it. Another was the tough defensive play way up front, which repeatedly prevented Cornell from getting the ball out of their end.

Harvard got on the scoreboard when Kristen Bowes crossed it in from the right, Keren Gudeman touched it to Naomi Miller, who blasted it in the left side of the goal. The second came on a s-w-e-e-t pass from Gudeman to the ever-present Stauffer, who confidently took the ball and placed in past the Cornell goalie.

In men's soccer, Harvard defeated Boston College, 4-1. This was as lopsided as the score would indicate. Will Kohler had three goals, assisted Tom McLaughlin on the other, and had a great all-around game. But what did it for the Crimson was defense. Let's face it: the back four are almost impenetrable and playing with extreme confidence. Lee Williams, John Vrionis, Ricky Le, and Andrew Lundquist are playing unbelievable ball.

Boston College was, early in the season, nationally ranked. But they were reduced to barely regionally ranked yesterday. Late in the game they made a couple of runs, and missed an easy one to make it 3-2. But that was it. Kohler put an end to the rally with a nice run, which he turned into a breakaway, which then became a PK when he was brought down. Kohler took it, it was saved, but he put in his own rebound. Unofficially, a goal and an assist for Will.

The latest NSCAA polls show the Harvard women ranked 12th in the nation, up from 17th, while their New England regional ranking went up from 3rd to 2nd, as UMass tied Georgetown last week and fell to 3rd. Harvard plays UConn, currently #1 in New England and #3 in the country, on October 23rd at Ohiri Field. Mark your calendars.

In the NSCAA polls released today, Harvard (men) ranks 20th in the nation, their highest ranking in nearly a decade. In the New England region, Harvard is ranked 2nd.

Julia Blain is named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, as she had two goals and an assist.

It was another Ivy League doubleheader, and another Harvard sweep. The women and the men prevailed against Penn today in Philalphia. The women won the first match, a 5-0 blowout, and the men took theirs, 2-0, in the game that followed. The women are now 6-0, 2-0 in the Ivy League, and the men have now equalled their win total of 1995 with their 6-1 record, 3-1 in the Ivy League.

For the men's team, this is the first time since 1987 that they have had three shutouts in a row. That was the year Harvard went to the Final Four and lost in the semifinals in a shootout. This year's team can extend this streak Wednesday against Boston College at Ohiri Field.

Notably, first place Cornell was tied by Columbia, 1-1, thus greatly improving the chances for an Ivy title for the second place men. The women, of course, are in first place, and appear to be in control of the league.

Harvard Men defeat Lafayette, 3-0, at Lafayette. Details are sketchy at this time, but we know this much: Will Kohler, back in his home state, scored what would prove to be the winning goal. He put it in off a corner kick, unassisted. He also added an assist. T.J. Carella, also playing to the home crowd (for that matter, so was half the team), tallied a goal and has now scored in three straight games. The third came from back Andrew Lundquist. The men are now 5-1, one game shy of matching their number of wins for last season, and move on to Penn this Sunday.

Harvard Women defeat Hartford, 5-0, in a night game at Hartford. Goals were scored by Naomi Miller (2 in the first 19 minutes, and an assist @ 26), Julia Blain, Keren Gudeman, and Emily Stauffer. This was bound to happen: Hartford has been . . . uh . . . not so good this year (1-9). B+B in the goal (Browning and Bagley) combined for the win, and were credited with zero saves, a credit to defense. At least the Crimson did not come down to their level and play a mediocre game. Next opportunity to improve their record (now 6-0) is Sunday, vs Penn, in Philadelphia, in a Harvard-Penn doubleheader.

Harvard Women defeat Holy Cross, 3-1, to move to 5-0. Goals were scored by Julia Blain, the freshman from Burke, Virginia (her first goal at Harvard), Emily Stauffer, and Lindsay Minkus.

Harvard Men defeat Central Connecticut, 3-0, at Ohiri Field. The first half was a ball control clinic, with Harvard capitalizing on just two of its many opportunities. The first goal came @ 5 minutes, on a shot by Tom McLaughlin, assit by freshman Alan Bengtzen. After a brief letdown, Harvard regained control, and @ 26 minutes Bengtzen put Harvard up, 2-0-, assists by McLaughlin and Carella. Bengtzen replaced the injured Rich Wilmot in the lineup, and played a very good all-around game. The third tally came @ 55 minutes, a 40-yard bomb over a stumbling goalie, taken by T.J. Carella, with an un-credited assist from Will Hench. The shots on goal were Harvard 23, Central Connecticut 6. The game felt more lopsided than the score would indicate. Notable games by Will Kohler, back after 1 1/2 games due to injury and looking very mobile; Lee Williams in the back; John Vrionis. Coach Steve Locker emptied the bench relatively early, giving the rest of the team an opportunity to play. It was good to see some of the freshmen who have had limited playing time. The Men are now at 4-1, and hit the road to Pennsylvania this weekend.

Men move to #3 in New England poll, # 28 in the country. Women still #3 in New England, but move up to #17 nationally. Visit the polls page for a cumulative listing of this year's rankings.

Will Hench, with his two goals against Yale, is Rookie of the Week in the Ivy League. Gina Foster is Rookie of the Week in the Ivy League on the basis of her play against Yale, which included one goal.

This Harvard-Yale doubleheader may go down at one of the most exciting afternoons of soccer ever played at Ohiri Field.

In the opening game, the Women kept their 3-year Ivy winning streak alive when they defeated Yale, 2-1. It was not easy for them: they trailed with 15 minutes to go, which was when freshman Tina Foster scored her first goal at Harvard to tie the game. (I look for big things from this player, formerly Florida's Player of the Year, and one of the most versatile players on the team.) Then, with 11 seconds remaining in the game, scoring machine Naomi Miller took a pass from Captain Meg Kassakian to nail the win for Harvard. They remain undefeated for the year, 4-0.

In the second game, the Men defeated Yale, 4-3, in overtime. The winning goal was put in by Tom McLaughlin, on a picture perfect pass from Armando Petruccelli, 11 minutes into the first OT period. This was a game that featured an injury-plagued Harvard (Will Kohler sat out) against a young Yale team. Yale got off to a 1-0 lead, but was tied when freshman Will Hench, the high school All-America from Phillips Academy, tallied his first Harvard goal, a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area. (I look for big things from Hench as well.) Hench put Harvard ahead in the second half, 2-1. Harvard was up 3-1 with 15 minutes left, but a furious Yale rally tied the game at 3-3.

Harvard kept its composure, which was hard to do under the circumstances. McLaughlin capped a great week (see notes on BU) with his goal in OT. The Men are now 2-1 in Ivy competition, and 3-1 for the year. Look for them to rise rapidly in the polls, even though, as we all know, they are utterly meaningless. For both teams this season is about winning the Ivy League, staying as healthy as possible, and getting into the NCAAs.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THESE GAMES WILL BE SEEN ON SPORTSCHANNEL THIS WEEK. Check your local listing for College Soccer Weekly.

The Harvard men defeated BU, 2-1, at Ohiri Field. The 11th-ranked terriers scored early (@ 4 minutes), but the Crimson were able to gradually get their composure back, and gained control of the game late in the second half. Kevin Silva put in Harvard's first goal @ 50 minutes, on a pass from Tom McLaughlin, who had a strong game playing up front. With 1 minute to play, McLaughlin drive deep into BU's box and passed it back to Rich Wilmot, who nailed it in the upper right corner. A great win for Harvard. Beating BU was no fluke: they owned the second half, as play was mostly in the BU end, and in spite of the fact that Will Kohler was out that half with an injury suffered as a result of rough play. In fairness to BU, it was a very physical game from both teams. Notable games from Lee Williams, John Vrionis, McLaughlin, Silva.

The 19th-ranked women defeated Boston College, 4-1, at Ohiri Field. We were there to witness the Emily Stauffer show. She had 3 first-half goals, but, equally impressively, dominated the midfield. Devon Bingham was also notable in the middle, and had the fourth goal--a pill to the upper right corner. There were numerous other scoring chances was were thwarted by a decent BC goalie. Naomi Miller and Stauffer both had long shots off the crossbar. Officially, BC had 1 shot, but I counted 3. A clinic. The women are now 3-0.

It was a big day for Harvard, with the women defeating Columbia in the opener, 3-0, and the men taking Columbia, 4-1.

For the undefeated women, Emily Stauffer scored first @ 23 minutes, with assist from Keren Guderman and Naomi Miller. One minute into the second half, Kristen Bowes increased Harvard's lead to 2-0. Naomi Miller scored @ 73 minutes, with an assist from Beth Stoddard to complete the game's scoring. In its eleven contests against the Lions, the women's team has never lost to Columbia (10-0-1). For the season, the women are now 2-0.

For the men, Rich Wilmot scored on a long shot, with Tom McLaughlin, in his first game, getting credit for the assist. In the second half, back John Vrionis had the second goal for Harvard, Rich Wilmot scored again to make it 3-0, and Tom McLaughlin made it 4-0. Kevin Silva and Armando Petrucelli has 2 assists apiece, and T.J. Carella and Will Kohler had one each. The men's all-time record against the Lions now stands at 28-16-2. The men are now 1-1 for the season.

In other Ivy action, Yale crushed Brown @ Providence, 5-1. Brown's goalie, Patrick Rea, had one (1) save. Dartmouth beat Penn, 2-0, @ Hanover. Dartmouth is now 2-1, and Penn is 0-2.

Women's game at Hartford postponed due to very heavy rain. Re-scheduled for October 3.

Elsewhere, nationally-ranked UMass men can only manage a tie against UNH, 1-1, at Amherst. A minor upset.

In their opening game, Harvard fell to 19th-ranked Cornell, 3-1. Cornell took advantage of Harvard early, scoring their three goals within the first 19 minutes. Harvard was able to put together several scoring opportunities, but could only manage a PK in the last minute of play, taken by senior Jim Quagliaroli.

Cornell is a talented team, and generally played with an intensity that Harvard lacked. Eric Kusseluk is an extremely dangerous striker, and demonstrated that by scoring two goals. However, this is a chippy team. Last year's contest, a 1-0 loss to Cornell in OT, was a contest during which Harvard lost three players for the season. Today, Cornell started off in the same way, getting a yellow card in the first minute (an Ivy record?) when captain Will Kohler was chopped to the ground. Later, Armando Petrucelli was removed from the game after another blatant foul. Regrettably, Harvard also played that game instead of sticking to theirs.

For a more detailed account, check the Harvard Crimson online edition, which you can also access through our complete Harvard Online page.

The nationally-ranked Harvard women won their first match of the year, defeating UNH 2-1. It was an example of complete domination by the Crimson. I estimate UNH had one (1) shot on goal, a PK in the first half. It was more than all Harvard in the second half, with 1995 Ivy player of the year Emily Stauffer putting in a rebound @ 60 minutes, and another one of Harvard's stars, Keren Guderman, scoring on a pass from Naomi Miller @ 82 minutes. Another one got called back on an offside call.

Mr. Chatty reports Hartford, away, over BC, 4-1. Sounded ugly. BC ranked 25 in the country last week, now 0-3. And BU over nationally ranked URI, 4-0. Should help BU's confidence a bit after their home loss to UMass. Also shows how far URI got with the easy schedule they have, and what happens when they play someone decent.

Duke is the new #1 team in the country. Mr. Chatty saw them scrimmage against UMass, where they tied 1-1. Jay Heaps, sophomore, of Longmeadow, playing in nearby Amherst, scored the goal for Duke, but yipped a PK that would have won it. Click here for current rankings.

Harvard men scrimmage Tufts at Ohiri Field, losing 2-0, both goals coming off of set plays. The Harvard lineup is gradually coming together, with several freshmen vying for spots on the team (Harvard graduated 2 players last year). I was stuck in traffic in Cambridge, which was celebrating its 150th anniversary with a giant parade--wish I had more to report.

Regular season results from around New England:
UMass over top-ranked BU, 1-0, at BU.
Nationally ranked URI over Maine, 2-1.
UConn over St. Mary's (Cal.), 3-0, at Storrs.
San Francisco over BC (ranked 25th in the country, now 0-2), 2-1, also at Storrs.

Harvard men defeat Hull University (England) in preseason scrimmage, 3-1. The game included goals by seniors Kevin Silva and Rich Wilmot, both back from injuries last fall. Coach Steve Locker used many different lineups, including a number of freshmen, as he experimented with different combinations. Absent from the tune-up due to injury were Tom McLaughlin, Toure' McCluskey, and Ricky Le, all juniors. Locker says none of the injuries are not worrisome at this time. Captain Will Kohler reports the mood in the preseason is upbeat.

Nov 29	Harvard Falls to #1 North Carolina, 1-0
Nov 23	Harvard Defeats George Mason, 2-1 (3 OTs) to Advance to NCAA Quaterfinals
Nov 20	Tom McLaughlin is 1997 Ivy League Player of the Year
Nov 18	Andrew Lundquist is Voted 1998 Captain
Nov 16	Harvard Advances With 2-0 Win Over UMass
Nov 15	Men End Season at Hartwick With 3-2 Loss
Nov 14	Naomi Miller is 1997 Ivy Player of the Year
Nov 14	Nine Harvard Women Make All-Ivy
Nov 10	Harvard Gazette Profile on Keren Gudeman '98
Nov 2	Women Win in Hanover, 1-0
Nov 2	Men Loose to Dartmouth in Final Minute
Oct 27	Men Defeat Fairfield, 2-0
Oct 27	Naomi Miller and Erin Aeschliman Get Ivy Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week
Oct 27	Captain Tom McLaughlin Earns Ivy Player of the Week
Oct 26	Dartmouth Games Previewed
Oct 26	Alumni Soccer Games Held
Oct 25	Two Games: Harvard 9, Princeton 1
Oct 22	Harvard Men Defeat Northeastern, 3-0
Oct 17	Harvard Gets Big Win Over Penn, 1-0
Oct 12	Men Spank Boston University, 5-0
Oct 12	Women Win in Ithaca, 3-1
Oct 8	Soccer America Interviews Emily Stauffer
Oct 6	Field Notes From Palo Alto
Oct 5	Harvard Women Win, Tie at George Mason
Oct 5	Harvard Drops Two at Stanford
Sept 27	Yale Breaks Women's Streak, 3-2, in OT
Sept 26	Harvard Men at Yale, 2-2, in OT
Sept 24	Yale Games Take Place This Weekend
Sept 23	Harvard Men Defeat Profidence, 2-1, McLaughlin Gets Both Goals
Sept 23	Women are Tied by Boston College, 1-1, in OT
Sept 21	Women Get by Colorado, 1-0
Sept 20	Harvard Men Defeat Columbia, 1-0
Sept 19	Women Win Their First Ivy Contest, 1-0
Sept 17	Harvard Men Tie Boston College, 1-1
Sept 17	Hartford Stuns Harvard Women, 2-0
Sept 14	Harvard Swarms UNH, 4-0
Sept 13	Men Fall to Penn, 1-0, in Season Opener
Sept 12	Women Defeat Boston University, 1-0, in Overtime
Sept 12	Emily Stauffer Takes the Year Off
Sept 6	Men Play McGill, Tufts, Wesleyan in Pre-Season Scrimmages
Aug 5	Harvard Men Ranked 17th in NSCAA Pre-Season Poll
Aug 5	Harvard Women Ranked 12th in NSCAA Pre-Season Poll