Shutout Defense, Wideroff's Offense Lead to Victories

Two shutouts. Two game-winning goals. Two big wins.

The Harvard women’s soccer team got it done this weekend.

Facing Beantown rival Boston University (2-4-0) on Friday and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-3) on Sunday, the Crimson pulled out a sweep, advancing the team’s record to 3-2-1 for the season.

And the team has its freshman class to thank for the wins. Paced by two goals from first-year forward Gina Wideroff, the squad followed the Class of 2011 to success on the weekend.

HARVARD 1, WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 0

It was a match of up-and-downs for the Crimson on Sunday. Luckily for Harvard, the team ended the day on top.

Behind Wideroff’s second straight game-winning goal, the Crimson defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon.

Although Harvard notched the victory on the day, its performance did not come without its own flaws.

The Crimson came out flat over the first 20 minutes, as the Panthers controlled possession throughout. But Harvard found its legs midway through, and as a result, the tide of the match changed in the Crimson’s favor, with the ball remaining on the Wisconsin-Milwaukee end of the field as the half came to a close.

After 39 minutes, Harvard’s efforts finally paid off. Freshman Katherine Sheeleigh corralled a long pass from the midfield, and after beating her defender, she set up sophomore Devon Sherman at the top of the box. Sherman threaded a beautiful ball into the left side of the box that Wideroff was able to finish off with a sprawling slide that beat the keeper to the ball, burying it in the back of the net.

It proved to the game-winner, the second in a row for the first-year rising star.

“I thought the keeper was going to come out and get it,” Wideroff said, “But when she did not, I dove in and got it.”

But a 1-0 lead is never secure. Moments later, the Panthers countered with a scoring opportunity of their own. It took a diving save from goalkeeper Lauren Mann to turn away Wisconsin and send the Crimson to the half with the advantage.

The Crimson did not coast to victory. In the second half, Wisconsin controlled possession again, as the Crimson failed to tally a single shot on goal in the second frame. And with two minutes to play, the Panthers looked to have the equalizer, but Mann stood in the team’s way, diving out to block the shot and preserve Harvard’s second consecutive victory.

As Harvard edges closer to its Ivy League slate, it will need to correct these flaws and find a consistency it has lacked so far.

“You can’t keep playing like that each game,” coach Ray Leone said. “We’re getting tired.”

HARVARD 1, BU 0

Sometimes, doing things right just takes a little time.

Harvard opened its season at Ohiri Field with 100 minutes of scoreless play before Wideroff scored in the second overtime period to lead the Crimson to a 1-0 victory over cross-town rival Boston University.

Overtime matchups weren’t kind to the Crimson last season, as Harvard went 0-3-1 in extra time.

But if its first long-game test of 2007 is any indication of future success, then the team should be celebrating at midfield much more often.

“It was a great mental toughness exercise for this team at this early stage,” Leone said. “I’m more impressed with how they responded in the second half than in overtime. In overtime, you flip a coin.”

The coin turned up on the right side for the Crimson when Wideroff, just one weapon in Harvard’s arsenal of talented rookies, finished off a pass from sophomore midfielder Christina Hagner just 30 seconds into the second extra frame.

The second half saw no shortage of chances for the Crimson, which kept the ball in the Terriers’ half and thrilled the home crowd with several shots missing just high or right of the BU goal.

Sheeleigh looked like she would be the hero for Harvard, ripping two near misses at the end of both the second half and the first overtime period.

The Terriers breathed a collective sigh of relief—for the time being.

“It was purely mental for us—it would eventually come for the team that wanted it more,” Wideroff said after scoring the game-winner. “It just didn’t come, but we knew we would get it and just stuck to it.”

—Staff writer Emily W. Cunningham can be reached at ecunning@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Walter E. Howell can be reached at wehowell@fas.harvard.edu.