Women's Soccer Digs Holes in Hartford

It was just the first weekend of the season, but the Harvard women's soccer team found a lot of opportunities at this weekend's Hartford Invitational. Chances to score? Plenty. Chances to improve? Even more.

The Crimson found itself playing from behind for most of the Labor Day weekend tournament, giving up a first-half goal in a season-opening 1-1 tie with Hartford on Friday, then seeing George Mason strike twice in the second frame of Sunday's 2-1 loss.

"We had plenty of opportunities, and we just have to focus on finishing," first-year coach Ray Leone said. "If we can eliminate the kind of mistakes we made early in games, then we won't be in that position every week."

"Our main goal is to develop a style of play," sophomore Lizzy Nichols said. "We have to find an identity with this team, and that's going to come with experience, both in practice and in games."

Junior midfielder Rachel Lau and captain Megan Merritt, who scored Harvard's lone goal in Sunday's loss, were named to the All-Tournament Team.

GEORGE MASON 2, HARVARD 1

The Crimson managed just one shot on goal in 90 minutes against George Mason Sunday. It was a good one, but not quite good enough for Harvard to avoid its first loss of the season.

Merritt scored off a pretty feed from Nichols in the 69th minute, but the Crimson couldn't complete the comeback after allowing two Patriot goals earlier in the second half.

George Mason struck soon after the break, scoring just two minutes into the second frame on a header from L.J. Williams.

"The game really went back and forth between the two teams," Nichols said. "It was about effort, and it was a pretty even game."

Leone suggested that the team had trouble controlling the ball on the turf of Hartford's fields, because Harvard plays on grass in Allston.

"We didn't keep the ball, we couldn't settle it, but we have to deal with that," Leone said. "We really just couldn't get into a flow because we didn't keep the ball for any length of time."

HARVARD 1, HARTFORD 1

The team wasted no time in showing off its new class of recruits, as freshman Katherine Kuzma scored the team's goal in a 1-1 tie in the season opener against tournament host Hartford on Friday night.

Late in the game, the Crimson found itself in a position familiar from the 2006 campaign—on the losing end of a closely fought match. The Hawks had shown off their own impressive freshman in the first half, as Michelle Orelli beat standout sophomore goalie Lauren Mann to put Hartford up heading into the break.

Kuzma scored off a corner kick in the 86th minute to tie a game that the Hawks seemed on their way to winning. Facing the deficit, Harvard adopted a more offensive style, throwing everything it had into Hartford's defensive half.

"It was great to get the goal with five minutes to go, but unfortunately we had given up one early," Leone said. "You don't want to practice being down a goal every week."

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