Men's Notebook: M. Soccer Defense Uses Size, Strength and Spit to Silence Elis

The Harvard men’s soccer team was kept busy all game long Saturday stopping Yale’s two main offensive threats, sophomore forward Lindsey Williams and junior forward Justin Burton.

Williams has struck against Harvard before, scoring two goals in his first college game in Yale’s 4-2 loss in New Haven last year.

The Crimson defenders used their size and strength to thwart the two smaller forwards. They constantly bumped them off the ball, preventing them from getting good touches and keeping both of them from getting off any significant shots.

At times, the Crimson resorted to slightly more illegal methods to keep Williams and Burton in check.

Following a heated exchange of words, Harvard defender Jason Andersen spat on Williams, hitting him in the face. The spittle actually knocked Williams to the ground.

Williams popped back up and immediately ran to the referee, who, not having seen the incident, ignored his complaints.

Tensions between the Crimson defense and the Yale forwards were raised to even more dangerous levels soon afterwards.

When Burton and senior forward Jay Alberts, both going for a headball, crashed down upon Harvard sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Roth, the Harvard defense quickly rushed to the scene. A short fight in the Harvard net ensued, with players pushing each other back and forth. One Yale player, after being shoved hard, got tangled in the net and fell to the ground, to the delight of the Harvard fans watching the melee.

Holla At Hollington

Yale goalkeeper Geoff Hollington may be regretting his choice of hairstyle.

Hollington was sporting a David-Beckham style mohawk, a hairdo that attracted a small gathering of Harvard supporters to position themselves behind the Yale net. The drunken fans made sure Hollington knew just how they felt about his haircut, as well as his play in general.

Despite the distraction, the 6’5 Hollington could still punt the ball impressively far. With a strong wind blowing from behind him in the second half, the Yale keeper was able to make all of his kicks dangerous.

He even registered one of Yale’s best shots on goal late in the second half. His punt sailed all the way into the Harvard penalty area.

The ball bounced off the ground at an odd angle, heading for the top corner of the net. Roth was forced to make a leaping save, crashing into the post in process, to prevent the almost unthinkable from occurring—a goalie scoring off a punt.

Odds and ends

Having beaten the third-ranked team in the region, Holy Cross, and fourth-ranked Yale in successive games, Harvard next has to face off against second-ranked BC on Wednesday. . . . Despite controlling the ball for the majority of Saturday’s game, Harvard was actually outshot 9-6. . . . The Crimson remains undefeated at Ohiri Field this season, running its record at home to 4-0-1. . . . The estimated attendence was 679, the best home crowd yet this season. . . . Junior midfielder Ladd Fritz’s goal was his eighth of the season, putting him one behind fellow junior midfielder Kevin Ara for the team lead.