M., W. Soccer Hit the Road, Take on Elis

Tradition is simple. Schedule a cream puff for your homecoming and everyone goes home happy.

Either Yale (4-1) has forgotten this or they believe the Harvard men's soccer team is a push over. This Saturday in New Haven at 7:00 PM the Crimson (1-2-1, 1-0 Ivy) look to provide tears in the post-game beverages of the Bulldog faithful.

Harvard comes into the soccer version of The Game fresh from a hard fought tie with the Boston University Terriers last Tuesday.

Despite trailing at the half, the Crimson came back to tie the battle early in the second period after a clutch goal by senior midfielder Armando Petruccelli.

"We always have a tough one against BU, and the last one was no exception," sophomore forward Jonathan Oslowski said. "Everyone played hard and it turned out to be a close one."

In spite of the tie, the Crimson still boast a perfect 1-0 record in Ivy League play, thanks to a 2-1 upset over Columbia last Saturday.

That win marked the first time that a Harvard team has opened league play with a victory since 1995, and was the first victory for new head coach John Kerr.

"We're working very well as a team right now," said Petruccelli, who is an All-American hopeful. "We are playing hard and it shows."

The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 8, a spot that may change in light of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of UConn on Wednesday.

The Elis were out shot 21-5 by the No. 19 Huskies in the upset rout, a stark contrast from their 2-0 domination of St. Francis last Friday.

"There's no doubt they'll be gunning for us," Oslowski said. "After that loss they are going to be really fired up."

The Bulldogs will be led on the field by senior forward Jac Gould, who is now their all time leader in goals and points scored. This year he has already earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors with three goals and three assists for a total of nine points last week.

"They will be very aggressive," said Petruccelli when asked what could be expected from Yale. "Having Gould back makes them better, but we can handle it."

But he dismissed the idea that he might receive any extra attention from the Bulldog defense.

"We play well together," Petruccelli said. "They can't afford to do anything special to me. My teammates will pick up the slack and make them pay."

This match up will be the first in Ivy League play for Yale and the second for Harvard, but it may have championship implications.

If the Crimson can stop Gould and an aggressive Bulldog attack they may well buck tradition and send the Elis home with yet another disheartening defeat.

W. Soccer at Yale

After a successful opening to its Ivy League season against the Columbia Lions last weekend, the Harvard women's soccer team takes to the road to face Ancient eight foe Yale in New Haven.

The Crimson (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) defeated the Lions by the tally of 2-1 last Saturday.

Harvard will now face a hot Yale team fresh off of a pair of 3-1 home victories. The most recent was a triumph over Ivy League foe Brown last Saturday.

The Crimson will look to duplicate last season's result versus the Eli, when it knocked off the Bulldogs by the count of 2-1 at Ohiri Field.

Harvard, however, graduated such stars as Emily Stauffer and Naomi Miller last year. Additionally last season's starting goaltender, senior Anne Browning, has also left the team.

Despite such key losses, though, the Crimson has already proven that it remains a strong contender for the Ivy crown.

Co-captain Beth Zotter and senior midfielders Ashley Berman and Julia Blain lead a powerful Harvard offensive attack that has netted 12 goals in only four contests.

Blain is currently ranked second in the Ivy League in both goals scored and total points with three and seven, respectively. Zotter and Berman, meanwhile continue to be the team's most consistent playmakers.

The Harvard defense is led by three team All-Ivy selection, co-captain Jessie Larson--who has also added the first four points of her collegiate career this season.

In goal freshman Cheryl Gunther has done an admirable job, as Harvard has allowed only four goals in as many games.

With these returning stars, as well as a superb freshman cast led by forward Beth Totman and midfielder Bryce Weed--who each have six points--the Crimson look to be in good shape against the Eli.