W. Soccer Hopes to Reload In a Hurry

The Harvard women's soccer team wants to redefine the meaning of a "rebuilding year."

Although the Crimson lost eight talented and integral seniors to graduation, and recently witnessed the defection of starting goalkeeper Anne Browning, it feels that rebuilding doesn't have to mean a losing season.

"Of course this year is going to be a rebuilding year, but that doesn't mean that we have to have an unsuccessful season," said Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton, who is beginning his 13th year at the helm. "After last season, this team is going to be different and rebuilt, but that doesn't mean that we're going to have a bad season. This weekend was a big step in that process."

Last weekend the Crimson (2-1) romped to two easy victories over Texas Christian and Alabama-Birmingham at the UMass Classic.

Over the weekend, six Harvard freshmen scored their first points as Crimson players and opened their Harvard careers with a bang, beating TCU 3-1 and UAB 7-1.

Freshman midfielder Bryce Weed chalked up two goals and two assists over the weekend, and rookie forward Beth Totman added two goals and an assist to the Crimson attack.

"The freshmen are really great players this season," Wheaton said. "Nine of our 22 players are freshmen, but we still have a really great chemistry on our team."

Adding to Weed and Totman's stellar play this weekend was a great defensive effort by freshman goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther, who admirably and ably filled the shoes of Browning, who last year had been the Crimson's starting goalkeeper.

In over 150 minutes of playing time, Gunther wowed the Harvard coaching staff by making four saves and allowing only one goal.

"I was pretty nervous, but it was really quite an honor," Gunther said.

Browning decided to leave the soccer team in order to concentrate on crew, where she captains the NCAA-qualifying first heavyweight boat. Her departure left a huge gap in the Harvard defense, which shone last year, allowing just five goals in eight Ivy League contests.

Browning's .814 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average were important parts of the Crimson's success last year.

"Anne was obviously a special player and a big part of this team, and we of course are going to miss her," Wheaton said.

"We're going to miss Anne because she was just an awesome player, but we have really strong goalies in both Cheryl and [sophomore Robyn Scatena]," said co-captain Jessie Larson.

In addition to the sparkling debuts made by Weed, Totman and Gunther last weekend, freshman forward Joey Yenne began the Harvard onslaught with a goal during the Crimson's 7-1 victory over Alabama-Birmingham, and freshman defender Katie Urbanic played a large role in shutting down the UAB offense.

Wednesday's loss to UNH proved the importance of the freshmen on this year's team. With the freshmen unavailable because of mandatory placement tests and only thirteen players available, the Crimson fell 1-0 to the Wildcats. Despite a stellar effort by sophomore goalkeeper Scatena, who made her first collegiate start, the freshmen's absence proved that the future of the team rests on their shoulders.

"The freshmen have really stepped up for us this year," Larson said. "They've been able to step up in really high-pressure situations, and they're all amazing players. We definitely missed them during the game [on Wednesday]."

"It's really hard to tell who's going to make the biggest impact on the program from this year's freshman class," Wheaton said. "They're all very talented players."

The addition of these skillful freshmen to the Crimson's roster have allowed Harvard to breathe a sigh of relief. Last year, graduation snatched away the talents and leadership of seniors Emily Stauffer and Naomi Miller, who are both known as two of the greatest women soccer players in the history of the Ivy League and who both earned Ivy League Player of the Year honors.

Stauffer and Miller, in addition to 1998 co-captain Devon Bingham and defenders Ashley Marynick and Jaime Chu, formed the nucleus of an incredibly talented squad that went to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 1997 and put the Harvard women's soccer program on the national map.

However, even with the wealth of talent on last year's squad, the team was never quite able to play to its full potential. For the first time in four seasons, the Crimson was unable to garner the Ivy League championship and instead ended up disappointingly second in the league behind Dartmouth, an eventual NCAA quarterfinalist.

In 1998, the Crimson ended up with an 11-4-1 regular-season record and a 6-1 Ivy League record. It also garnered a first-round victory in the NCAA tournament against Central Connecticut State before falling to nationally-ranked Hartford 3-0 in the second round.

Because last year's graduating class was largely responsible for making the Harvard women's soccer team a national threat, its absence on this year's team could prompt speculation about the team's chances for success in the future.

"We can't lose a class like that without rebuilding," Wheaton said. "But this year's seniors and upperclassmen really worked hard over the summer, which will make a huge impact on our program."

Indeed, the efforts of co-captains Larson and Beth Zotter helped propel the Crimson to victory last weekend. Both had unassisted goals during the Crimson's match against Alabama-Birmingham and helped the freshman players get on their feet with several assists during the weekend.

Larson is known as one of the most talented sweepers in the Ivy League and is a three-time All-Ivy selection. Anchoring the defense with Larson is the multi-talented Gina Foster, who can play as well in the backfield as she can up front. Because of the graduation of First-Team All-Ivy selection Chu last year, Foster will attempt to focus her efforts in bolstering the Harvard defense early in the season, though Wheaton may choose to switch her back to the offensive side of the ball later in the year.

Junior Lauren Corkery, who started in all 18 games for the Crimson last year, will also make a great impact upon the Harvard defense this season.

"We have a lot of really strong players in the sophomore and junior classes, and the seniors are just incredible this year," Larson said. "We have a lot of depth on this team."

Despite the loss of Stauffer and Bingham to graduation last year, this season's Crimson midfield proved last weekend that it is still a strong component of the Harvard attack. In addition to Weed's dazzling debut in a Harvard uniform this weekend, senior Julia Blain tacked on two goals and an assist.

The Harvard offense certainly has been able to bounce back from the graduation of Naomi Miller. Zotter leads a talented corps of freshmen and upperclassmen that knows how to find the net.

"We already have ten goals this year and our total output for the year last season was 30 goals," Wheaton said. "We've really gotten off to a great start this year."

In 1998, Zotter ranked second behind Miller in scoring and chalked up five goals and two assists for the season. Talented sophomore Colleen Moore adds a nice complement to the efforts of freshmen Yenne and Totman, who both enjoyed successful games last weekend.

The offense may also be bolstered by the return of sophomore forward Erin Aeschliman, who took the 1998-99 academic year off. Aeschliman made the leap from the junior varsity program in 1997 in time to score both of the Crimson's goals in a 2-0 win over UMass in the first round of the NCAA tournament. She finished the campaign with four goals and one assist.

"This year, we're trying to create our own style and strategy of play," Larson said. "In the past, we've had a lot of superstars on the field who have directed our play, but this year, we'd really like to create [a style] of our own."

In addition to welcoming nine freshmen to the squad, Wheaton and his corps of upperclassmen are also working with two new assistant coaches, Stephanie Erickson and Jape Shattuck. Erickson adds experience as a player in a nationally recognized program at Northwestern, and Shattuck, who coached the Harvard men's team from 1982 to 1986, has gained national recognition as a knowledgeable and talented coach.

"They both add great enthusiasm and knowledge to this program," Wheaton said.

In its challenging non-conference schedule, the Crimson faces three opponents that were all ranked in the preseason Top 20. At the end of September, Harvard will play No. 7 Hartford, which defeated the Crimson twice last season. Harvard also faces off against nationally-ranked BYU and Connecticut in October.

In addition to that difficult non-conference schedule, Harvard's opponents in the extremely competitive Ivy League are determined to fight the Crimson for the league title. Harvard will play matches early in the season against traditionally tough opponents Columbia and Yale next week.

In spite of the challenges that loom ahead for the Crimson, it appears that Harvard will continue its tradition of soccer excellence this season. With a crop of fresh, talented first-years led by seasoned, skilled upperclassmen, Wheaton has molded a team that is a perfect combination of experience and enthusiasm.

"We definitely want to win the Ivy League title," Gunther said.

Even though graduation stole some of the most talented players in the history of the Ivy League away from the team, the Crimson has made the concept of "rebuilding" seem like a perfect strategy for success.