W. Soccer Set to Pounce on Princeton in Ivy Showdown

Mother Nature has wreaked enough havoc on the Harvard women's soccer team.

Hurricane Irene spoiled the Crimson's visit to Florida for the Miami Invitational last weekend. The inclement weather followed Harvard home to Ohiri Field Wednesday, as showers drenched the pitch and forced officials to cancel the match-up against cross-town rival Boston University.

But with only a handful of games remaining, not even Mother Nature can stand in the way of Harvard's NCAA berth. The Ivy League title, on the other hand, still hangs in the balance and might be decided as the No. 16 Crimson (10-1-1, 4-0 Ivy) faces off against Princeton (10-2-1, 3-0-1 Ivy) tomorrow at home.

"Princeton is going to be a huge game for us," senior midfielder Julia Blain said. "Whoever wins on Saturday will probably win the Ivy League."

Though the Crimson has sat comfortably atop the Ivy League standings for most of the season, the Tigers' performance has been just as impressive, boasting an almost identical Ivy League record to Harvard.

Both teams are undefeated in league play so far, but Harvard has a slight advantage. While the Crimson notched a spectacular win against Yale, Princeton was unable to nab the game-winning point on the Elis, and was forced to settle for a 2-2 tie.

"I think we match up pretty well," said sophomore forward Colleen Moore. "We're in control of our destiny, as our coach likes to say. Hopefully we'll win, but even if we tie, we're still one point ahead of them."

With three freshman firmly entrenched in the Ivy League's top ten list for overall scoring, it is no surprise that the rookies have been instrumental in the Crimson's so far successful campaign.

Harvard freshmen have earned four of the five Ivy League Rookies of the Week honored this year. Outstanding goaltender Cheryl Gunther and forward Orly Ripmaster both notched one acknowledgement, while Joey Yenne nabbed her second, after a phenomenal performance against Butler last weekend.

Yenne exploded with a pair of goals against the Bulldogs, both of which came within three minutes of each other early in the second half to ensure Harvard's eventual victory, 4-1.

And with the numbers Gunther is posting this season, she has played more like a seasoned veteran than a green recruit. Gunther has occupied the top spot in Ivy League goaltending for most of the fall, with a save percentage of .857 and a 0.51 goals against average.

With her shutout against Miami last weekend, she has posted four shutouts in her past five appearances between the posts.

"Cheryl is, I think, the third keeper in the nation in terms of goals let up for minutes played," Moore said. "I have all the confidence in the world in our defense, and not many shots are going to get by. But if they do, Cheryl will be able to handle them."

With the depth of the young rookie talent on the Crimson, it can be easy sometimes to overlook the perennial contributors to Harvard's success. Unless, of course, they, too, have stellar weekends, much like Moore and co-captain Jessica Larson.

Moore, with six points on the weekend, was the Crimson's star in Miami, assisting on the game-winner against Butler, and scoring a second goal to seal Harvard's victory, 2-0. She added another goal and an assist against Miami last Sunday.

"I go in with Caitlin and x during the second half," Moore said. "Our fresh legs and hard work are pretty effective against defense, and hopefully we'll pick up another goal or two."

And Larson, who made the Ivy League's honor roll for her performance last weekend, is the hero of the Crimson defense.

The whole backfield has dominated this year, allowing only seven goals in twelve games, the lowest number in the entire league this year.

Princeton's offensive game, with its depth on the front line, will give the defense its biggest challenge yet. The Tigers have lit up their last six opponents, tallying 33 goals on the season, just one more goal than the Crimson.

Princeton's ability to apply constant pressure in the offensive zone has arguably been the main reason the team hasn't lost since mid-September, and will be a focal point for the Harvard defense tomorrow.

In its last game, the Tigers made 17 attempts on net, while Seton Hall only tried three times.

The Crimson need to shut down the co-captain Dana DeCore, a dangerous offensive force who was solely responsible for Princeton's tenth win of the year with a 1-0 shutout over Seton Hall on Wednesday.

Defensively, the Tigers also post solid numbers in Ivy League competition. Though Princeton's goaltender, Jordan Rettig, hovers around the middle of the pack in terms of goal keeping, she boasts a decent .733 saves percentage, and 0.98 goals against average.

With the success Harvard has had this year, none of these numbers should frighten it. After all, if it can survive a hurricane, why should it be afraid of an overgrown cat?