Early Trouble, Outpour Late

Despite controlling the play in the opening exchanges, the Harvard men’s soccer team found itself down 1-0 to Columbia. The Lions (3-12-1, 1-5 Ivy), who had already pulled off wins against then-No. 19 Penn as well as against annual powerhouse and then-No. 6 UC Santa Barbara, could smell another big upset.

Instead of panicking, the Crimson (11-4, 5-1) gave a demonstration of the resilience that has brought the team to within one game of the Ivy League title.

Six different players got on the scoresheet for Harvard who came back to rip Columbia 6-1 Saturday afternoon at Ohiri Field. The match also saw junior Andre Akpan break the all-time Harvard records for both points and assists.

“Instead of crumbling, we battled and put six in,” co-captain Luke Sager said. “That’s what I think is special about the team this year.”

Harvard coach Jamie Clark had even stronger words about the potential implications of the win.

“That is the difference between being a title team and not being a title team,” he said. “When we gave up a goal, we had purpose.”

Clark had a big hand in changing the course of the match. With senior Mike Fucito out with a hamstring injury, Clark was forced to reshuffle his usual starting 11. After the Lions opened the scoring against the run of play, Clark changed things around. He brought on freshman Baba Omosegbon for senior Walter Diaz to play in the center of midfield with junior Brian Grimm. Clark then shifted junior Adam Rousmaniere from the center to the right side of midfield, moved sophomore Alex Chi to the left wing, and sent senior John Stamatis up front.

The change had an instant impact. Just after the half hour mark, Chi got to the ball before the Columbia keeper off a corner kick. The ball fell to Omosegbon, who finished emphatically, banging the ball into the net to even the score.

Just four minutes later, the Crimson went ahead thanks to a beautifully worked goal from the two strikers. Stamatis fed the ball into Akpan on the left edge of the box, who one-touched the ball back into the path of Stamatis, and the senior tucked it into the near post. With the assist, Akpan broke the all-time assists record.

Ten minutes into the second period, Akpan set another Harvard record and put the Crimson two goals clear. A long throw-in from the right side was headed on, finding sophomore Dillon O’Neill, who headed it onto the crossbar. Akpan was the first to pounce on the rebound, and he bravely dove to head the ball home, taking a cleat to the face for his efforts. With the goal, Akpan passed Chris Ohiri ’64 on the Harvard all-time points list.

“It’s an honor to break that record,” Akpan said. “It’s a record that was held by the guy who the field is named after, so obviously it’s a big deal.”

In the 62nd minute, the Crimson struck again. Junior Kwaku Nyamekye took a free kick on the edge of the box that was deflected, and the ball nestled into the bottom right corner.

Harvard was not done yet. Stamatis, probably the man of the match, picked up the ball at midfield on the right side and left the Lions’ defenders in his wake. Stamatis played through freshman Ben Tsuda, who scored his first career goal. Stamatis was at the center of nearly every Crimson attack, putting in a notable performance on Senior Day.

“He’s our best true soccer player,” Clark said of Stamatis. “As far as seeing the game and making decisions, he’s brilliant. He can play a lot of roles. We moved him up front and he made an immediate impact for us.”

To cap off the afternoon, senior Marcel Perl scored his first goal of the season from an incredible long-range effort. The goal was indicative of the performances of the available seniors.

The final stop on the road to the tournament for Harvard is a trip to Penn next weekend. For the Crimson, it’s simple: a win translates into an Ivy League championship.

—Staff writer Jay M. Cohen can be reached at jaycohen@fas.harvard.edu.