W. Soccer Flies to South Florida, Faces Butler and Miami

The Harvard women's soccer team heads to the Sunshine State this weekend, where both the temperature and the intensity will be a few degrees higher.

The Crimson (8-1-1, 4-0 Ivy) is looking to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games with wins over Butler University and University of Miami in the Miami Invitational this weekend.

The youth movement will be in full effect as all three teams post lengthy rookie rosters, which has not detracted from any of their performances. In fact the young teams have all performed better than expected in their respective leagues.

"UM and Butler are both solid, but very young," co-captain Jessica Larson said. "We are confident that we can do well, and are pumped to go to Florida."

The Crimson will face off against Butler today in the first round of the tournament. The Bulldogs (5-6-1) are riding high in the top spot in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, thanks to a solid 3-1 victory over league rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This is a remarkable feat, considering Butler started the season 0-5.

Butler's freshmen talent has more than paved the way for such a turnaround. The Bulldogs' secret weapon is a trio of rookies who together are responsible for a record of 5-1-1 since late September.

Freshman forward Kara Bryan, recently named MCC Athlete of the Week, leads Butler with five goals and 12 points this season. But what has proven most impressive about Bryan is her impeccable timing. Four of her five scores have put the Bulldogs on the board, and three of them have tied up the match for the Bulldogs.

Not far behind is fellow freshman forward Martha Gudiel, who is second on the team with four goals, one of which was a game-winning tally against UW-Milwaukee. And her counterpart, freshman Clayr Mimikos, has proven to be an offensive force as well, tallying three goals on the season for the Bulldogs.

Defensively, Butler is weak, but is doing an admirable job of keeping that fact from affecting its performance. Sidelined with a broken finger earlier this season, freshman goaltender Tricia Czerniak will be participating only as a spectator.

Senior forward Megan Partenheimer has been manning the net for Czerniak in the meantime. With Partenheimer's only experience between the posts coming six years ago in high school, this may be one weakness that the Crimson can capitalize on.

Harvard will reload and face the host of the Miami Invitational, University of Miami, on Sunday to finish up the tournament.

The Hurricanes will bring a very young squad with an even younger history to Cobb Stadium, as last season was the inaugural year for the Hurricane's women's soccer team.

Co-captain and senior midfielder Nina Walthne, a perennial force for UM, is tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals, and also shares fourth place in points with eight on the season.

Additionally, freshman forward Alison McWhinney--who is on pace to set the UM single season scoring record--may pose a problem to the Crimson defense. Notching 21 points through the Hurricane's first 13 games of the season, she's already third in the school in the all-time single season scoring column, just six points shy of the record.

Meanwhile, co-captain Deidre Bass and Elizabeth Swinson have avoided the oh-so-common sophomore slump, posting very respectable numbers this season.

Bass is currently second on the team with 14 points on five goals and four assists. She is the only member of the infant squad to have started in the program's all-time 32 matches.

Swinson, after returning from a short respite of two games, notched a 1-0 shutout against St. John's recently, and has three shutouts on the season. Swinson also boasts a solid record of 3-1, and has a stellar 0.85 GAA.

Though both Butler and UM appear to be strong threats to the Crimson's four-game winning streak, Harvard should not be underestimated. In fact, of the three teams, the Crimson brings the most depth and experience to the field.

Led by Larson and co-captain Beth Zotter, the Crimson are on a hot streak that rivals it's performance last season.

Larson and freshman goaltender Cheryl Gunther are at the forefront of a Harvard defense that just won't quit. Gunther is still sitting atop the Ivy League standings with a .902 save percentage and a 0.44 goals against average. Larson, a perennial All-Ivy candidate, has proven time and time again to be an invaluable asset to both the Crimson's defensive and offensive play.

Defensively, Larson helped hold Cornell and Boston College scoreless last week, taking some of the pressure off of Gunther between the pipes.

But with six starting freshmen on the roster, the importance of the youth to the Harvard squad is immeasurable.

In the last three weeks, three Crimson freshman have been named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Week--Joey Yenne, Gunther, and most recently, Orly Ripmaster. Ripmaster was instrumental in shutting down Cornell 5-0, launching two goals to keep the Big Red at bay.

Yenne, Zotter, and Beth Totman, another freshman mainstay, compose the potent front line that will look to do major damage to the defenses of both UM and Butler. In recent matches, the Crimson has scored virtually at will.

Though none of the three teams have ever squared off against each other, an accurate picture of this weekend can certainly be painted. Harvard's defensive force, coupled with a deep and strong offensive attack should prove enough to handle young squads like Butler and UM.