Old Schools Younger Players

What’s in a name?

Harvard men’s soccer captain Andrew Old has the answer to that question.

Old was already 21 years old when he came as a freshman from his hometown of Tyne and Wear, England, near Newcastle. Now the captain of the Crimson (5-3-4, 0-2-1 Ivy) for the second straight year, Old will turn 24 in January.

“Oldy,” as he is known by his teammates, arrived with loads of experience for his first year of collegiate action. At the age of 16, he left his high school, Sunderland Colleges, to play club soccer for two years. He was a member of four different teams before returning to complete his high school education. He also had a stint coaching youth soccer for a summer prior to coming to Harvard.

But although he entered his freshman year with great expectations, Old suffered a season-ending knee injury in a game against Stanford during the opening weekend of the season. In an eerie coincidence, an admissions officer had asked him what he would do if he suffered debilitating injury at Harvard. Old’s response was simple—“You are still at the best school in the world so you can’t be too disappointed.”

Once he returned to the field, Old became the anchor of the Crimson defense. He was Honorable Mention All-Ivy his sophomore year, when he started every game, and continued his steady play as a junior, though he did not receive any postseason honors.

This year, Old has had to deal with a great deal of flux in the backfield. The Crimson lost two key defenders to graduation, Michael Lobach ’03 and Old’s former co-captain Michael Cornish ’03. Harvard also lost junior back Jason Andersen to a recent injury. Partly because of that injury and partly for strategic reasons, Harvard has been toying with a 4-4-2 alignment instead of its usual 3-5-2 set.

“We can upset teams with our change in lineup at the drop of a hat,” Old said.

Old also noted that the team is adapting quickly to the new sets, but Andersen could return by this weekend.

In Andersen’s absence, two defenders have emerged to strengthen the backfield. Junior Zachary Chandis, who usually plays midfield, has been playing defense, and sophomore back Will Craig has also stepped up.

While the depth of the team is a huge strength at Harvard’s disposal, integrating the new players with the old is an adjustment. But Old has worked tirelessly at it, constantly chatting with younger players to help them make the transition. He also leads by example, consistently finishing first in practice fitness drills.

“Oldy has helped these inexperienced guys get used to the new formation and the tempo of college soccer very well by being a sort of coach on the field for them,” says sophomore Brian Charnock, who also cited Old’s encouraging attitude and friendly demeanor in addressing concerns both on and off the field.

Another aspect of Old’s leadership this year has been dealing with the Crimson’s skirmishes during games. Although the team has been in a couple of ugly situations on the field, Old has his teammates’ back but usually plays a role in preventing a major blow up.

One such instance came in the overtime game against Cornell on Oct. 11 when freshman Charles Altchek slid into the opposing goalie. After a fight broke out, Old pulled apart the most heated combatants.

“I try to get everyone’s minds back where they should be,” Old says. “The quicker everyone can concentrate on the game and not on brawling, the better for us.”

Old, however, is not always the peacemaker, as his teammates can attest to his emotional side—he even lost a tooth last year during a fight.

But most of the time, it is Old’s ability to maintain his team’s composure that leads Harvard. His teammates praise his excellent communication and strategic play for giving them confidence under his command, with Craig dubbing Old the “glue” of the team.

“He is a calming factor for me, because I know that when the ball is at his feet, he will make the right decision,” says sophomore goalie Ryan Johnson.

As the team’s elder statesman, Old’s decisionmaking and veteran presence have left their mark on his coaches and teammates.

“We have some great athletes and some great players, but without Oldy’s organization, I’m not sure we’d be the same team,” Craig said.