Tornaritis Finishes Career in Style

Not only did senior forward Nicholas Tornaritis have a great weekend, but he also finished out his career in style.

Nicholas Tornaritis had a tremendous last game of the season—and his Harvard soccer career—on Saturday against Penn as he scored not one, but two goals against the Quakers.

“This year, it was a little tougher [for the Tornaritis twins] because everyone was keying in on them,” Harvard coach John Kerr said. “But they really put this program on the map.”

Nicholas Tornaritis put the game winner away too with his second goal late in the game. He received an open ball from junior midfielder Tom Stapleton, and while waiting in front of an open net on the far side of the goal, he easily put it in.

“[Tornaritis] is so dangerous out on the wings,” said senior captain and defender Will Craig. “I don’t think that there is an outside guy that can stop him.”

The goal put the Crimson ahead 3-1 and even though the Quakers made a last ditch effort by scoring one more time before time was called, they could not close the two goal lead.

“[The Tornaritis twins] have been big players for us,” Kerr said. “Last year they scored 17 goals between them.”

Nicholas Tornaritis’s first goal was the first of the match coming only seven minutes into play. He beat the Quaker goalkeeper to the ball and lofted it up and into the bottom left of the net. This goal propelled Harvard to an early 1-0 lead and a lead that Penn would not be able to touch.

Nicholas Tornaritis was not just the leading Crimson scorer in its game against Penn, but one of the leading scorers for this team in general this season. He started in 15 or more games each of his last three years with the Crimson. Throughout his four seasons he was also able to register 12 goals and nine assists for the team only one more– in each category–than his twin brother Anthony Tornaritis. Anthony Tornaritis finished out the season with 11 goals and eight assists falling just short of his brother’s top career statistics.

But there is no animosity between the twins though who have played incredibly well together throughout the seasons but maybe just a friendly brotherly rivalry.

“They have a very good understanding of each other,” Craig said. “They understand how each other plays.”

—Staff writer Abigail M. Baird can be reached at ambaird@fas.harvard.edu.