Women's Soccer Clips Eagles, 2-0

Leave it to the freshmen.

They may not know where Mem Hall is, where to turn in study cards or how to get to the Quad, but they know how to find the goal, and they know where to put the soccer ball.

The Crimson came out strong behind the lead of rookies Keren Gudeman and Kristen Bowes to defeat cross-town nemesis B.C., 2-0, at Ohiri field yesterday afternoon. The win brought Harvard to 2-1-1 (0-0-1 Ivy) and marked the team's third consecutive victory over the Eagles (4-4-0 overall).

"B.C. is traditionally a pretty big game for us," senior Libby Eynon said. "They're always ranked higher in the pre-season poll, but we've beaten them for the past two years."

The Crimson established its dominance early when Gudeman scored fourteen minutes into the first half. The freshman midfielder was able to convert on a pass by co-captain Beth Morgan, sending the ball just past the goalie into the lower right corner of the net.

Harvard continued to dominate the midfield for the rest of the first half, rarely allowing the Eagles to control the ball in their offensive end.

The occasional long balls that did manage to get past the swarming Crimson defense were readily stopped by freshman keeper Dana Krein.

"We controlled the ball a lot this game," Eynon said. "We were making good passes and connecting really well."

"We just played our game. BC tried to kick it and run on to it, but they didn't have the speed," she said.

Although Harvard showed signs of fatigue in the second half, it managed to extend its lead thanks to midfielder Bowes.

Freshman midfield standout Emily Stauffer, who proved her foot skill throughout the game, navigated the ball through the B.C. midfield to sophomore forward Rachel Chernikoff.

After Chernikoff's shot bounced off the Eagle netminder, Bowes was able to head the ball into the net and seal B.C.'s fate with just over a minute to play.

"We were definitely getting tired in the second half, and that showed in our play," co-captain Genevieve Chelius said. "I think most of us are still recovering from this weekend's games."

Harvard returned early Monday morning from a weekend jaunt to Virginia where it went 1-1. The team defeated Davidson, 1-0, on Saturday. In Sunday's matchup against UVA--a top-ten team--the Crimson forced the Cavaliers to overtime before falling, 2-0.

"It was a great weekend for us. I think it proved that we are going to be really competitive," Eynon said. "I can just feel it on the field."

"We're faster, we're passing better and our squad is really deep. We can basically play anybody at anytime," she said.

The Crimson, who placed fifth in the Ivy League last season, looks to be one of the top contenders for this year's title.

Harvard continues its quest for the title this weekend as it will host the first annual Harvard Invitational Tournament.

The Crimson will take on Ivy leader Cornell at 11:00 on Saturday morning.