No. 10 Men's Soccer Opens Season With Win Over No. 13 Stanford

With vuvuzelas blaring and an unprecedented turnout for Crimson soccer lining the sidelines, it was clear that the spirit of South Africa had made a pit stop in Cambridge for the night.

The new Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium was rocking Saturday night as a boisterous crowd of 3,221 fans spurred the No. 10 Harvard men’s soccer team (1-0) to a 2-1 win over No. 13 Stanford (0-2).

The game was decided in the 80th minute thanks to a superb run by sophomore forward Brian Rogers, who calmly put the ball past the Cardinal goalkeeper and caused the stands to erupt with cheers. It was the Crimson’s first win of the season and an ideal way to inaugurate the newly-built arena.

“The atmosphere was incredible,” Harvard co-captain Robert Millock said. “It was the best game atmosphere we have ever had. The support was awesome. I think we fed off the energy a lot, so I think this would be the biggest win in our time here.”

Saturday’s game was Carl Junot’s first match at the helm of the Crimson soccer program. Junot, who served as an assistant coach for Harvard during the last two seasons, became head coach for the men’s team over the summer after his predecessor, Jamie Clark, departed for Creighton. A former collegiate player for the Furman Paladins, Junot understands the pressures of a big game and was proud to see his players deliver.

“Overall, it was a spirited performance,” he said. “We showed a lot of faith in ourselves, being able to change the momentum in the second half, because I thought early in the second half, Stanford was able to put some pressure on us.”

The game started with both sides trying to establish control of the ball. Five minutes into the match, the Crimson wasted an opportunity to get on the scoreboard when Rogers failed to get a shot on goal after cutting the ball back on several Cardinal defenders. Nine minutes later, Stanford had its own shot on goal from close range that barely missed the top left corner of the net.

With 19:07 left to go in the first half, it seemed that the Cardinal had a good grip on ball possession until junior Jamie Rees ran down the right side of the field and sent in a cross directed at a charging Alex Chi. The senior never connected with the ball, because it deflected off the head of Stanford senior Shaun Culver into the net he was defending.

The fortunate goal shifted the momentum onto Harvard’s side. The Crimson ended the half outshooting the Cardinal, 9-4.

The second half began with Stanford increasing pressure on Harvard. The Cardinal got what it was looking for in the 50th minute, when 2009 Hermann Trophy semifinalist Bobby Warshaw’s 25-yard free kick got past Crimson junior goalie Austin Harms.

Stanford kept looking for another goal but the Harvard back line, anchored by captains Millock and Jaren LaGreca, kept all threats at bay.

With 19 minutes left on the clock, the crowd started chanting “Let’s Go Harvard,” feeling the transfer of momentum over to the home side.

“I thought the last 20 minutes of the second half completely belonged to us,” Junot said. “I was very pleased with the team’s performance tonight.”

Rogers had a good chance in the 77th minute when his footwork and speed produced a shot to the side of the net.

It was a warning of what was coming three minutes later, when Rogers forced his way past a stumbling Cardinal defender to go one-on-one with the goalie. The reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year maintained his balance and slipped the ball under diving Stanford goalie Jason Dodson.

“When I saw the ball go in the net, it was a great feeling,” Rogers said. “I saw my friends in the crowd and just wanted to go share the moment with them.”

Though the goal proved to be the difference-maker, the Cardinal kept fighting until the final whistle. In the waning seconds of the game, Stanford was awarded a corner kick and nearly headed the ball into the net, but the shot flew wide of the goal as time expired.

Stanford was 5-0 against Harvard before Saturday night and has now fallen to a 0-2 start on the season.

—Staff writer Brian A. Campos can be reached at bcampos@fas.harvard.edu.