Women's Soccer Defeats Penn for First Ivy Victory

During a game in which the own goals outnumbered the goals scored, the Harvard women’s soccer team (4-3-1, 1-0 Ivy) managed to grind out a win against Penn (4-1-2, 0-1 Ivy) to open up Ivy League play on Friday at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium.

The go-ahead goal for the Crimson came in the 79th minute off of a free-kick from just inside half field by freshman forward Midge Purce, who leads the team with nine points this season. Purce drilled the ball towards the Quakers’ goal and found the back of the net as it bounced off a Penn defender. The goal was ruled an own goal, the second of the night.

Earlier in the 67th minute, a seemingly simple cross to the box by Penn caused a miscommunication in the Harvard defense, ending in an own goal, as sophomore defender Alika Keene tried to boot the ball out of the defensive third.

“It didn’t really matter how it went in,” co-captain midfielder Peyton Johnson said. “All that mattered was we were a goal back and we had to score.”

Though the goal certainly seemed as if it would deflate the Crimson, the squad responded with defensive pressure and offensive urgency.

“We’ve been in that position many times before, so we knew that in order to win, instead of dwell on that goal, we had to come back,” co-captain forward Elizabeth Weisman said. “It’s the way that you react to that goal that matters, and we took it on ourselves to change the score.”

Early in the match, junior defender Marie Margolius played a beautiful ball to Weisman, who was able to beat the Penn goalie, but had her shot turned away by Quaker defender Claire Walker.

Harvard dominated possession for the majority of the match and did not allow Penn a single shot on goal in the first half. In the 57th minute, Purce sent one over the bar with time and room in front, as the Crimson’s offensive woes continued. Though Purce and fellow freshman forward Joan Fleischman were able to beat their defenders down the wing, Harvard was unable to connect on balls inside the box. Nonetheless, the Crimson defense held the Quakers to a mere four shots in the game, with not one hitting the frame.

The defense continued to pressure and push the ball forward, outhustling Penn to nearly every 50/50 ball. Juniors Cheta Emba, who started, and Bethany Kanten, who was credited with the win, split time in net. The only shot on frame came from the Harvard own goal in the second half.

“We might not have been playing the best that we [have] before, but we had a lot of effort out there, and we just had to calm down and play our game, and I think we did that in the second half,” said Weisman.

The Crimson broke through for its first goal of the night in the 75th minute, when Johnson crossed the ball to Keene, who found freshmen forward Karly Zlatic, as Zlatic calmly put the ball in the back of the net. Johnson was the key distributor for the Crimson all night, providing them with a crucial spark in a game, just when the game looked out of reach.

“We weren’t flowing like I know we can, but I think that what we definitely showed even when things aren’t going perfectly smooth for us, there is a lot of determination,” Johnson said. “When we went down a goal, I don’t think a single person on our team put down their head. We responded very quickly and were able to pull out a win.”

Harvard’s advantage in possession time wore down the Quakers’ offensive players, who were unable to make runs late in the game. Notable Crimson defenders in the match included junior Erika Garcia and freshman Bailey Gary who stepped up, showing good speed and poise with the ball in the back.

“It feels awesome,” Weisman said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the Ivy League. It’s great for us to get that first win, so now we know what that feeling is like, and we want to have that feeling the rest of the season.”

The win marks Harvard’s fourth consecutive victory in the season and its first in the Ivy League.

“That’s a big confidence builder to be able to go down in Ivy League play where teams are very tough to score on, and that’s a really good feeling,” Johnson said. “We didn’t play our best, but with the desire that we had, I don’t know if we were going to be denied.”