Harvard Squares Off Against Yale in Ivy Opener

The Harvard men’s soccer team (2-5-1) will look to start its season off with a fresh slate as it opens Ivy League play this Saturday with a game against rival Yale (4-4-1) at Reese Stadium. Much is at stake in the Crimson’s remaining games, with in-conference victories being the only thing that matters when it comes to determining who gets the Ancient Eight’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

“Being the first Ivy League game, it’s obviously going to be a difficult one,” co-captain Tim Linden said. “Something about the Ivy League, every game is a battle. There’s no tournament like there is for other conferences. The results during league play really determine the winner of the league. It comes down to which team has the will to win and who doesn’t want to step off the field with a loss. We’re focusing on our mental toughness and team cohesiveness.”

Harvard is coming off Wednesday night’s 2-1 home loss to Boston University, in which the coaching staff experimented with the lineup in order to give the veterans a rest and the rookies a chance to showcase their talent. In that contest, the Crimson got on the scoreboard first thanks to a header in the 29th minute from junior Zack Wolfenzon, but then watched as the Terriers took a 2-1 lead midway through the second half. Despite a spirited comeback bid, Harvard could not muster up enough second-half offense to even the score against their cross-town rivals.

“Obviously we saw a lot of things that we can improve upon, but we also saw a lot of things that went really well for us against BU, especially in the first half,” Linden said. “A lot of different guys saw time against BU, and a lot of players had the opportunity to prove themselves. The coaches had time to see who was effective. Going forward … we’re going to make sure our most effective players are out there and make sure they’re strong.”

Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Crimson had capped off a two-game road trip last weekend on the West Coast that saw Harvard fall to Stanford, 1-0, in the Nike Classic and play to a 0-0 tie against Santa Clara two days later.

The Bulldogs enter Saturday night’s contest coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 1 Connecticut in double-overtime on Tuesday. It nearly pulled off an upset that would have sent a powerful message to the other teams in the Ivy League that Yale is no longer a cellar dweller in the conference’s standings.

“In the past two years, Yale has been one of the bottom teams in the Ivy League,” junior co-captain Scott Prozeller said. “Despite that, it’s always an incredibly tough game for us … It’s going to be a 90-minute battle.”

The Crimson will have to contend with a formidable Bulldogs offense that has scored four times as many goals as Harvard has on the year. Fifth-year senior Brad Rose, who is tied for 13th in the country in assists per game, leads the charge for the Bulldogs. Sophomores Jenner Fox, with nine total points, and Peter Jacobsen, who has put away four goals, are also coming up big on the offensive side of the field for Yale.

“We’ll probably control possession a lot of the game,” Linden said when asked how his team would deal with the Bulldogs’ attack. “These next couple days of practice we’re going to get together as a team and work on our offensive strategy. We’re much more concerned about ourselves and how we’re going to put the ball in the back of the net [than with the Yale offense].”

The Crimson has scored just four goals all year and has been outscored by opponents, 8-4. The Crimson will look to juniors Brian Rogers and Prozeller for their offensive production. Rogers leads the team in goals scored, having found the back of the net in a season-opening win against Northeastern and a 2-1 loss to Rhode Island. Prozeller secured a thrilling 1-0 victory over Massachusetts on September 16th when he converted on a penalty kick five minutes into overtime.

“The main thing we’ve struggled with this year is goals,” Prozeller said. “One of the most important things against Yale is going to be scoring early. If we do that, we’ll open things up and make them attack us.”

Last year’s Harvard-Yale matchup at Ohiri Field ended in a 1-0 win for the Crimson, with Prozeller finding the back of the net in the 30th minute to record the game’s only score. That was the 15th career shutout for senior goalkeeper Austin Harms. In Saturday’s contest, Harms will look to tie the school record of 19 shutouts held by Chris Johnson ’06.