M. Soccer Will Face Rutgers In NCAA Opening Round

The Harvard men’s soccer team learned yesterday that it has made the 2001 NCAA Tournament, and will open play in Connecticut on Saturday.

The Crimson gathered in Adams House yesterday at 3:00 p.m. to watch as the 48 NCAA Tournament teams were selected. Despite a disappointing 3-0 loss to Brown that ended the regular season and cost Harvard the Ivy League championship, the team will be spending Thanksgiving in Cambridge for postseason preparations.

“Everyone is really happy to be in the tournament,” captain Nick Lenichek said. “It’s been a goal for us all season long.”

Harvard received an at-large bid and will travel to UConn to play Rutgers on Saturday. The winner of that game will go on to play defending National Champion and regional No.1 seed UConn on Sunday. UConn will have the advantage of being able to watch both teams play on its home field on Saturday.

Rutgers (13-6-3, 6-3-1 Big East) made a solid run in the Big East Tournament before losing to UConn 1-0 in the semifinals. Rutgers also managed a 1-1 tie against Princeton, a team that Harvard defeated 1-0 earlier this season. The Scarlet Knights picked up a 2-0 win against Providence and a 3-1 win over UPenn this year, teams that Harvard defeated 3-0 and 1-0, respectively.

Harvard will have to contend with Rutgers senior forward Dennis Ludwig. Ludwig was named Offensive Player of the Year in the Big East Conference this past week. He racked up 33 points (14 goals, 5 assists) to lead the conference in scoring this year.

The Crimson has a 2-2-0 record against tournament teams, with the wins coming against Princeton and San Diego—two teams that received first-round tournament byes.

The loss against Brown on Saturday left the Crimson’s fate in the hands of the selection committee. A win agaisnt the Bears would have given the Crimson an automatic tournament berth in addition to the Ivy League title.

A big 2-1 win over then-No.6 San Diego on Sept. 21, in addition to a solid 5-2 Ivy League record and a defense that recorded nine shoutouts in 15 games were enough to propel Harvard into the tournament.

The Crimson challenged for the league crown and compiled a solid 10-4-1 record despite having to deal with injuries all season.

“We worked hard since the preseason to get into the tournament,” sophomore Kevin Ara said. “Now we’re in it. Nobody said it was going to be easy. Now we just have to perform.”

Junior defender Michael Cornish and senior Nick Lenicheck have both been out with injuries for the past month. Sophomore Grayson Sugarman, freshman Pablo Koe-Krompecher and freshman James Roth have all missed significant time this year.

This is the first time the team has made it to the tournament during Harvard Coach John Kerr’s three-year tenure. Harvard had not earned a tournament bid since 1996. The Crimson beat Boston University 3-2 in the first round that year before losing to Hartford in overtime 3-2.

That win is the only tournament win the Crimson have earned since consecutive Final Four apppearances in 1986 and 1987.

Kerr and his staff have managed to bring in quality young players the past three years to combine with a talented senior class.

“It’s pretty sweet for the team, especially for the seniors, to be able to go out with an NCAA Tournament appearance,” Lenichek said.

Sophomores Ladd Fritz and Kevin Ara finished tied for the team regular season lead in points with 13. Lenichek was off to a torrid start with four goals and two assists in only nine games before his season-ending ankle injury.

Senior Mike Lobach is the backbone of a defense that recorded six straight shutouts before a 1-0 loss to Dartmouth on Oct. 27.

Michael Peller and Joe Steffa anchor a midfield that dominated games this season. Freshmen Jeremy Truntzer, Jason Andersen, and Zach Chandis all earned starting spots and have been key contributors all season.

“As a whole, we were pretty pleased just to be in the tournament,” Truntzer said. “I thought that we could have received a better bid, and that would have increased our chances of making it deep into the tournament. But I think the path is definitely doable.”