No. 15 W. Soccer Stunds No. 7 UConn On Road

The two best women's soccer teams in New England squared off in Storrs, Conn., yesterday afternoon, and, as expected, the contest was a fight to the finish.

After battling No. 7 UConn (12-6) to a deadlock for 81 minutes, the No. 15 Harvard women's soccer team (12-1-1, 5-0 Ivy) broke through for the lone goal of the afternoon to upset the Huskies yesterday, 1-0.

The victory marked the eighth consecutive win for the No. 15 Crimson.

With just under nine minutes remaining in the contest, junior midfielder Meredith Stewart lined up for a corner kick from the left side of the field and lofted the ball in front of the net and into a crowd of players.

Sophomore goalkeeper Maria Yatrakis got both her hands on the loose ball but could not retain possession. A scramble for control ensued before co-captain Beth Zotter was able to poke the ball into the back of the net for the game-winning score.

"I can't even explain what happened exactly," Zotter said of the goal, her third of the season. "The ball just came off of the goalie's hands and I was just in the right place at the right time."

Despite falling behind with time winding down, the talented UConn squad did not give up. The Huskies proceeded to mount a frenzied attack in an attempt to knot the game at one and send it to overtime.

After Harvard's goal, UConn turned up the pressure, pinning the ball on the Crimson side of the field for the majority of the game's final minutes. The Huskies' aggressive play earned them three corner kicks in the final four minutes, but Harvard was able to turn them back on each occasion.

And with just 1:10 left in the contest, UConn made a final move to get on the board.

Sophomore forward Lacey Toups took possession near the left corner of the Crimson box and made a quick move toward the center of the field. Toups created some daylight and drilled a low shot toward the left corner of the net. But just as the ball neared the goal, freshman goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther dove to her right to make the save--her fifth on the day--securing the victory for Harvard.

Despite her inexperience Gunther's play yesterday was not surprising, as she has shone throughout her rookie season. Entering the game the freshman was ranked first in the Ivy League and second in the nation in goals against average with a sensational 0.42.

"[Gunther] is just a fantastic [goalkeeper]," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said. "She has really come up big this year without seeing much action. I knew she would be fine, but I thought it would take her a bit longer to get this good."

Harvard's winning score came on the heels of a sustained period of UConn offensive control. The Huskies maintained possession of the ball and applied much pressure to the Crimson backfield, and it seemed as if the momentum was set in UConn's favor.

Then with 14 minutes left in the game, Toups--who had just been inserted into the game--ripped a booming kick toward the Harvard goal. The shot was not to be, however, as the ball slammed into the upper right corner of the post and careened out of the Crimson zone.

Having just narrowly averted disaster, the Crimson seemed to come alive after Toups' near-miss, as it began to apply the pressure that would lead to the game-winner.

"When you play a team as talented as UConn, you know that they can dominate, and they did that for a while," Wheaton said. "But when the ball hit the post it was a wake up call for us."

In addition to the obvious importance of defeating a top-10 team, the win was especially sweet for Harvard considering the results it has had against the Huskies in recent years.

In particular, the Crimson's last trip to Morrone Stadium to face UConn stood out in the players' minds. Two years ago, the Huskies handed Harvard an embarrassing 5-0 defeat. With the memories of that game still fresh, the upperclassmen came ready to play.

"The game [against UConn] two years ago was the worst that we have ever played," Zotter said. "We were definitely excited to come here and change our memories of this field."

The teams also met last season, with the Crimson matching the Huskies shot-for-shot before suffering a heartbreaking 2-0 loss. Despite coming up just short, the game proved to Harvard that it could compete against its nemesis.

"Last year we realized that we were capable of beating them," Zotter said. "And this season we are solid at every position, so we were confident that we could win."

It was Harvard's continued excellence on defense, though, that proved to be the deciding factor in yesterday's game. Co-captain Jess Larson and senior back Gina Foster anchored yet another spectacular defensive effort for the Crimson.

Entering the contest UConn--led by star sophomore midfielder Mary-Frances Monroe' 22 points--had netted 46 goals on the season, and the Huskies looked to put the pressure on the Harvard backfield throughout.

But the Crimson, which leads the nation with just seven goals allowed this season, proved once again to be up the challenge.

Despite occasional displays of brilliance from Monroe, Harvard did not break, tallying its third consecutive shutout, its seventh of the year. Foster, in particular, came up big in stopping Monroe and the Huskies.

"[Monroe] is the best player we've seen all season," Wheaton said. "But Foster is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated players in the country, and she did a fantastic job on her today."

In addition to Foster's impressive work, the Crimson defensive unit pressured UConn whenever it touched the ball, forcing the Huskies to play more conservatively than they are accustomed to.

"Harvard pressures the ball well, and did so for most of the game," UConn Coach Len Tsantiris said. "As a result we got into the game of worrying about losing the ball instead of attacking."

Harvard established this trend from the outset as its aggressive defensive play led to sloppy ball-handling from the Huskies in the first half.

Although the Crimson seemed to outplay its counterparts in the early going, neither team was able to assert itself offensively.

"We weren't finding any of our teammates on offense and had trouble organizing ourselves," Wheaton said. "We felt okay about the first half, but in hindsight we played better then than in the second."

The Huskies came out of the intermission with a newfound fire. UConn began to attack with more frequency and effectiveness.

"In the first half we started very slowly," Monroe said. "But in the second half we picked it up and played much harder."

The Crimson maintained its poise, however, continually turning back the Huskies' advances throughout the final half, before finally mounting its own game-winning attack.

With the win, Harvard now holds claim to the title of best team in New England. As it stands now, the Crimson is a leading candidate to play at host the opening two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

With a tough schedule remaining to finish out the regular season, though, Harvard is careful not to look ahead to possible postseason play.

"The NCAA tournament is definitely a big thing for us, but the Ivy championship is always our main goal," Wheaton said. "There's one word for it--rings. We want the Ivy rings."

To get the sought-after rings, the Crimson will need to continue its stellar play in its final two league games against Dartmouth and Brown.

After a disappointing start to its season, the Big Green--which dealt Harvard a heartbreaking 2-1 loss last season to win the league crown--has risen to the No.25 spot in the national rankings. And although it has no chance at the Ivy title this year, Dartmouth will be geared to knock off the Crimson to solidify a spot in the NCAA tournament.

After the Big Green, Harvard will travel to Brown for its season finale. With a win in either game, the Crimson will assure itself of at least a share of the league title. The team realizes, though, that the road ahead is far from easy, but it feels confident in its chances.

"Dartmouth is the best 7-6 team in the country, and playing at Brown is always tough," Wheaton said. "But we feel that we can play with anyone in the country."