M. Soccer Rumbles Over Northeastern, 3-2

The end of yesterday's men's soccer game was dramatic and exciting; it shouldn't have been.

With Harvard cruising to an apparent 2-1 victory, Northeastern (4-3-0, 0-0-0 American East) tied the game on an improbable goal with four minutes remaining.

But a last-minute goal from sophomore midfielder Michael Peller with just 1:09 left in regulation secured a 3-2 victory for Harvard (2-3-1, 1-1-0 Ivy) at Ohiri Field, its first win without junior captain Ryan Kelly.

"We were very fortunate to come away win a win against Northeastern," Harvard Coach John Kerr said.

Just as the game seemed destined for extra time, the Crimson proved its resiliency, taking the lead for the third time in the match.

As the game clock winded down toward the final minute of play, sophomore defender Joe Steffa handled a throw-in behind the left sideline deep in Northeastern territory. His heave found senior forward Will Hench, who used his head to redirect the pass to Peller, who, in turn, headed the ball past the goaltender for the game-winner.

"Heading isn't really my specialty," said an obviously surprised Peller. "I think this is the first time I've done it."

The Crimson needed Peller's dramatic strike because in the 87th minute, Husky captain Brendan Faherty gained possession of a loose ball amidst a scurry in front of the Harvard goal and grounded the ball inside the near post, tying the game, 2-2.

"It looked like there was a miscommunication on that play," Kerr said. "[Faherty] just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Our keeper did not read the play quick enough."

Up until that point, Harvard had pretty much stifled Northeastern during the second half. The Huskies were able to gain a physical edge on the Crimson during the first half, but during the halftime break, Kerr encouraged his team to answer Northeastern's challenge and compete more physically.

The Crimson evidently took its coach's words to heart once play resumed. Sophomore forward Jon Oslowski struck quickly at the start of the second half with his second goal of the season off a pass from fellow sophomore Nick Lenicheck .

"Coach pretty much told us that we had better pick it up," Steffa said. "We were off our game in the first half."

Oslowski had entered the game roughly halfway through the first half, replacing starting forward Alan Bengtzen, who had suffered a mild injury to his right ankle. Bengtzen sat out the remainder of the game, but said afterward that he did not expect to be out for an extended period of time.

Oslowski's goal seemed to provide an emotional lift of sorts, as the Crimson's play steadily improved throughout the remainder of the match.

"In the first half, I was disappointed with the way we played," coach Kerr revealed. "But in the second half, we really increased the intensity."

Despite the unevenness of its effort, the Crimson certainly was pleased with the end result, especially considering the absence of Kelly, who is out indefinitely with a broken hand. The Crimson was able to compensate for the loss of its leader, thanks, in part, to some spirited play by Steffa, who collected a goal and an assist on the afternoon.

Steffa, making his first collegiate start, drew first blood for Harvard when, less than four minutes into the game. He collected a nicely placed corner kick by senior midfielder Ryan Keeton and headed it into the Huskies' goal.

Just minutes later, Steffa made his presence felt again-this time at the other end of the field-when he blocked a Northeastern shot after Crimson goalkeeper Mike Meagher had been drawn away from the net.

"He played a very good game in his first college start," Kerr said. "The thing I like about Joe is that he's very vocal.

Steffa's goal stood up for the next thirty minutes of play until Northeastern answered with a breakaway goal by forward Leroy Watkins at 33:00.

The victory handed the Crimson just its second win of the season, but may prove important. Harvard needed a confidence booster following the loss of Kelly, and also junior defender Matt Edwards among other players.

The squad's younger players have been forced to step up and prove themselves despite limited experience. Nevertheless, if yesterday's game is any indication of how those younger players are going to respond, coach Kerr has reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season.

Despite Edwards' absence against the Huskies yesterday, the Harvard defenders performed well in front of their goalkeeper Meagher. Freshman sweeper Mike Lobach, for one, broke up several potential scoring opportunities for Northeastern. As a unit, the Crimson defense held the Huskies to just two scores, no small feat considering that they had amassed 19 goals against their previous four opponents.

"[Yesterday's win] gives us confidence," Kerr said. "We need that. We've got another big weekend coming up."

Indeed, Harvard will have its work cut out for them in the days ahead. This weekend, it travels to California for a game against Stanford and No. 20 Cal-Berkeley.