Athlete of the Week: Cheek Nets Nine Goals in Victory Over No. 2/2 Brown

1995. That was the last time a Harvard player managed to put up nine goals in one game, as Jamie Ames ’95 found the back of the net nine times against Yale in an 18-7 victory.

It took 11 years for a Crimson player to replicate the feat, and this time the team needed every single tally. Sophomore attackman Morgan Cheek lit up then-No. 2/2 Brown, which boasted a defense allowing less than nine goals-per-game, for nine scores and 10 points to lead Harvard to victory. It was only the second time that the Crimson defeated a No. 2 ranked team since coach Chris Wojcik ’96 joined the program in 2011.

“I just went out and played like I had nothing to lose,” Cheek said. “Lots of credit to my teammates for setting me up with some great opportunities, and from there, it was mainly just going out and playing fearlessly.”

Going into the game, most of the spotlight was on the Bears attacking duo of junior Dylan Molloy, who entered the tournament as the freshly-minted Ancient Eight Player of the Year, and senior Kylor Bellistri, an All-Ivy honorable mention. The pair came in ranked first and second in the nation, respectively, in both points and goals, with Molloy also leading the NCAA in assists.

Cheek, who was named to the All-Ivy second team, came in with 26 goals to his name–less than half of the totals Molloy and Bellistri put up–and his previous season high for goals scored in an individual game stood at four in a losing effort against Yale just a week before.

“All-Ivy meant a lot to me, it validated all the work I put in over the off season,” Cheek said. “Backing it up with a performance like that was obviously great but being selected to begin with was an honor.”

While the Wellesley, Mass. native had yet to put up a prolific performance, Wojcik felt the signs were evident in practice.

“[Cheek] had a great week in practice, and he came into the game with a ton of confidence.” Wojcik said on Friday. “You could see that translate onto the field, with the way he took over the game.”

With the Crimson down 8-5 to Brown at the half, Cheek had already compiled four goals in the first half hour, matching Molloy goal-for-goal to keep Harvard alive. It was in the third quarter, however, the sophomore sparked the Crimson’s upset hopes. Just 13 seconds into the period, the attackman found the back of the net on the man-advantage before senior Deke Burns brought Harvard within one just after five minutes had passed in the stanza.

It was all Cheek from there on out, as the sophomore added three more scores in the span of six-and-a-half minutes, including one while the Crimson was down a man following a penalty on senior midfielder Ian Ardrey, to give his team a 10-8 lead at the end of the stanza.

“The way he was getting his shots all week, especially on Thursday, you felt like he was going to have a good game” Wojcik said.

A pair of goals in the final period secured the upset for Harvard and gave Cheek the last of his nine goals, tied for the most goals scored in one game by a Harvard player and the all-time best in Ancient Eight tournament history.The sophomore singlehandedly outscored the most potent offense in the nation in the last 30 minutes, tallying five goals in the second half while Molloy, Bellistri, and the Bears attacking unit was held to just four goals on their home turf.

Though the season came to a disappointing end a few days later with a 14-9 loss to No. 7/6 Yale in the tournament final, where Cheek was held to just one goal and one assist, it was a season to remember for the sophomore.

After registering just 14 points his freshman year, the attackman ended his season with 60 points off of 36 goals and 24 assists, second-highest on the team in those categories behind senior and Tewaaraton Award nominee Devin Dwyer.

With the Crimson losing one of its most impressive classes this year, packed with highly recruited and talented seniors such as Dwyer, Stephen Jahelka, Bobby Duvnjak, Walker Kirby, Will Walker, and several others, Cheek figures to be a pivotal figure for Harvard during his final two years with the Crimson.

While only time will tell what direction the team takes following this season, having a player like Cheek is a good place to start.

–Staff writer Julio Fierro can be reached at julio.fierro@thecrimson.com.