Unfinished Business

Watch out, squash.

The Harvard women's soccer team is good. Darn, darn, darn good. Good enough to romp through the Ivy League undefeated for the second straight year. Good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, which the team did not do in 1995. Maybe even good enough to be called a juggernaut.

Which is a rare term at this school, usually reserved only for Harvard's men's and women's squash teams, which collectively have lost only one match in the last four years. True, it would be a major upset if this soccer team won the national title, but one can certainly expect the Crimson to treat the rest of the Ivy League like toxic sludge--as in, disposed of as quickly as possible.

The biggest reason for this prediction is junior Emily Stauffer. Undoubtedly the best soccer player ever to compete at Harvard, the midfielder was a First Team All-American selection, the first Crimson player ever to win the honor. The Ivy League Player of the Year, she led the conference with 13 goals and nine assists.

The second tier of Harvard players ain't too bad either. Sophomore forward Naomi Miller, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, contributed 10 goals and six assists, while junior forward Keren Gudeman scored seven goals and 11 assists. In fact, the Crimson (14-2-1, 6-0-1 Ivy) returns its seven top scorers.

On the defense, Harvard loses Sara Noonan '96 to graduation and sophomore Jaime Chu to an injured leg, so senior Meg Kassakian and juniors Jessica Henderson and Rebe Glass will have to carry more of the work on their shoulders.

However, that's assuming that the freshmen won't have anything substantial to contribute. Looking over the past few years, this would be a foolish thing to think.

Over the past three seasons, Harvard coach Tim Wheaton has brought in some of the best recruiting classes of any Harvard team. Two season ago, Stauffer, Gudeman and Kristen Bowes made a big impact as freshmen; last year, it was Chu, Devon Bingham and goaltender Jennifer Burney.

And now? A talented pool of six freshmen is now in Cambridge--defenders Jessica Larson and Gina Foster, midfielders Julia Blain and Ashley Berman, forward Beth Zotter and goalie Anne Brown. If history repeats itself, some of these people will do well.

"The freshmen coming in are strong, and we're coming together really quickly," Gudeman said last Friday. "We're really psyched and mentally ready for the season."

But looking back at this recent history, doing well is a very high standard. Harvard didn't give up a goal until its fifth game last year, scored at least three goals in all but six games and outscored its Ivy foes 23-5. The only non-win in the league was a 0-0 tie at Cornell.

The biggest blemish on the season, however, was not making the NCAA Tournament. Harvard's record was pretty good, but lost badly to its only nationally-renowned opponent (3-0 to UConn) and did not beat anyone of caliber.

So in 1996, Harvard has added Hartford, Texas and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to its schedule, which will give the Crimson practice against better teams. The Ivy League now has an automatic bid this year for its champion, but Harvard also wants to make sure it's ready for the NCAAs.

"Texas is very strong, and Cal Poly was very much like us last year [in not making the NCAAs with a good record]," Wheaton said. "I think [playing them] will help us."

The only problem is that the Texas, Cal Poly and UConn games all take place consecutively, so if Harvard loses a few of them the team might get frustrated.

Of course, that's about the only complaint that Harvard could have going into this season. Things could be a lot worse.

"We're ready to play, and we feel that we have the ability to compete with any team in the country," Wheaton said.

OUTLOOK * WOMEN'S SOCCER

RECORD: 14-2-1

IVY LEAGUE: 6-0-1 (first)

COACH: Tim Wheaton

CAPTAINS: Meg Kassakian '97, Rachel Chernikoff '97

KEY RETURNEES: Emily Stauffer '98, Keren Gudeman '98, Naomi Miller '99, Dana Tenser '97

KEY LOSSES: Sara Noonan '96, Jaime Chu '99 (injury

However, that's assuming that the freshmen won't have anything substantial to contribute. Looking over the past few years, this would be a foolish thing to think.

Over the past three seasons, Harvard coach Tim Wheaton has brought in some of the best recruiting classes of any Harvard team. Two season ago, Stauffer, Gudeman and Kristen Bowes made a big impact as freshmen; last year, it was Chu, Devon Bingham and goaltender Jennifer Burney.

And now? A talented pool of six freshmen is now in Cambridge--defenders Jessica Larson and Gina Foster, midfielders Julia Blain and Ashley Berman, forward Beth Zotter and goalie Anne Brown. If history repeats itself, some of these people will do well.

"The freshmen coming in are strong, and we're coming together really quickly," Gudeman said last Friday. "We're really psyched and mentally ready for the season."

But looking back at this recent history, doing well is a very high standard. Harvard didn't give up a goal until its fifth game last year, scored at least three goals in all but six games and outscored its Ivy foes 23-5. The only non-win in the league was a 0-0 tie at Cornell.

The biggest blemish on the season, however, was not making the NCAA Tournament. Harvard's record was pretty good, but lost badly to its only nationally-renowned opponent (3-0 to UConn) and did not beat anyone of caliber.

So in 1996, Harvard has added Hartford, Texas and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to its schedule, which will give the Crimson practice against better teams. The Ivy League now has an automatic bid this year for its champion, but Harvard also wants to make sure it's ready for the NCAAs.

"Texas is very strong, and Cal Poly was very much like us last year [in not making the NCAAs with a good record]," Wheaton said. "I think [playing them] will help us."

The only problem is that the Texas, Cal Poly and UConn games all take place consecutively, so if Harvard loses a few of them the team might get frustrated.

Of course, that's about the only complaint that Harvard could have going into this season. Things could be a lot worse.

"We're ready to play, and we feel that we have the ability to compete with any team in the country," Wheaton said.

OUTLOOK * WOMEN'S SOCCER

RECORD: 14-2-1

IVY LEAGUE: 6-0-1 (first)

COACH: Tim Wheaton

CAPTAINS: Meg Kassakian '97, Rachel Chernikoff '97

KEY RETURNEES: Emily Stauffer '98, Keren Gudeman '98, Naomi Miller '99, Dana Tenser '97

KEY LOSSES: Sara Noonan '96, Jaime Chu '99 (injury