M. Soccer Looks to Stop Slide vs. Holy Cross

The Harvard men's soccer team looks to notch its first win in the month of October as it takes on Holy Cross this afternoon at Ohiri Field.

With crucial Ivy League matches against Princeton and Dartmouth in the next two weeks, today's game against the Crusaders (7-2-2) serves as a prime opportunity for the Crimson (2-7-1, 1-2 Ivy) to regain momentum and confidence lost over the last two weeks.

Harvard has lost four straight games since a 3-2 win against Northeastern on September 28.

While the Crimson has held a number of teams scoreless into the waning minutes of the match, it has been unable to threaten in the offensive end. The result has been a string of lopsided results, including a 4-1 defeat at Hartwick this weekend.

Injuries to key starters have plagued the Crimson all season, and left the squad's attack significantly under-manned.

Early in the season, junior captain Ryan Kelly went down with a broken hand.

Although Kelly had played in the back, he began to move forward in the September 19 match against Columbia, pushing Harvard' offense deeper into the Lions' backfield. The result was a stunning win against a top-rated Columbia squad.

Although Kelly has returned to the line-up, the adjustment is taking some time.

In addition to Kelly, two sophomores--midfielder Joey Smolen and forward Marko Soldo--are out for the season.

Smolen, who scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win against Columbia, came off the bench and also saw time in the starting line-up. Soldo saw limited minutes on the front line, but provided the Crimson offense with a crafty turn and an extremely hard shot.

Also battered is sophomore forward Alan Bengtzen, who hurt his foot against Northeastern. Bengtzen has been in and out of the line-up since then, but will see some time today.

As Harvard's attack went to the infirmary, the team has been falling in the standings. In the four-game skid since the end of September, the Crimson has been outscored 11-2.

The lack of offensive production has translated into increased pressure on a young Crimson defense, which is quickly earning its stripes in this trial-by-fire season.

"We have slowly been learning what people can do, and what they can't," sophomore goalkeeper Mike Meagher said. "The problem with learning this during the season is that it leads to goals. With Kelly back, we're having to adjust again, but things look pretty good."

Perhaps the most important effect in the recent slide is the loss of Crimson confidence

"The important thing against Holy Cross is to score first," Meagher said. "We tend to lose a great deal of confidence if the other team scores first, especially if it is in the latter stages of the game."

Against Holy Cross, the Crimson has a good chance of getting the first strike.

The Crusaders' seven wins on the season belie a schedule which includes a number of second-rate squads. Holy Cross has tallied wins against teams like Quinnipiac, St. Joseph's, UMass-Lowell and Albany.

Against Northeastern last Tuesday, a considerably stronger team than their previous opponents, the Crusaders went scoreless in a 3-0 loss.

Holy Cross is lead by a strong senior attack and solid play in the goal.

Senior midfielder Jeff Carroll has registered five goals and one assist in eleven games. Senior forward Matt Ney has also tallied five goals and an assist, including a goal in the Crusaders' 2-1 win against Albany last Saturday.

Between the posts, the Crusaders are lead by senior Chuck Chiesa. Chiesa's 1.44 goals against average includes a stellar 11 save performance against Colgate earlier this season.

Although the Crusaders find themselves far above the .500 mark, it has not dominated its opponents on either side of the ball. For the season, Holy Cross has outscored its opponents 21-13, but outshot them only 125-111.

For the Crimson, the chances should be there.

"We need to play a complete game on both sides of the ball," Meagher said. "It's not enough to go 60 or 70 minutes. We need to go the full 90 all over the field in order to stay in it."

With an eye on its upcoming Ivy League matches, the Crimson will try to climb out of the cellar this afternoon.