Weekend Preview: Freshman Parents Arrive, Sports Hit the Road

It’s Freshman Parents Weekend! While the campus is swarming with freshman parents, eager (or not so eager) to learn what their children have been doing the past seven weeks, most of the athletic teams will be traveling to play away matches. Freshman parents may not get the opportunity to watch many of the Harvard athletic teams in action, but there are still two key events that the Crimson is hosting at home.

The first is the Harvard football team, taking on Lehigh tomorrow at noon at the Stadium. Last time out, the Crimson displayed fine form as it picked up its first Ivy win of the season, 31-17, over Cornell. Now 3-1 overall, the squad is looking to capture its third straight victory, and if past performances are good indications, then Harvard has a great chance to do so. Last year, the Crimson defense dominated Lehigh, giving the Crimson the win, 28-14. Harvard also leads the overall series, 8-7.

Many freshman parents may have never had the chance to watch a field hockey match, but this weekend provides the perfect opportunity, with the team facing off against Cornell at Jordan Field tomorrow at 2 p.m. The women have a 3-9 overall season record and a four-game losing streak, but don’t count them out just yet. Last year, Harvard defeated Cornell, 1-0, in Ithaca, N.Y. With the season nearing its end, the squad only has a few more chances to improve its overall record, but things could be looking up after this weekend if the team manages to pull off the victory.

After tying against the Cornell Big Red last weekend, the Crimson men’s soccer team travels to Brown tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in another clash of the colors. For those who haven’t been keeping track of the men’s progress this season, the team is 4-3-4 and has not lost any conference games yet. With history on its side, that success against Ivies should continue. Harvard leads the overall record against the Bears, 46-27-11, and has won three of the past five meetings.

Earlier that same day, the women’s soccer team also takes on Brown in Providence. Like the men, the women also have a winning record of 5-4-1. In its last match, the Crimson took down Cornell, 2-0. Brown is unbeaten at home this season, but Harvard is looking to extend its winning streak to four games and has won its past two matches against the Bears.

Continuing in Ivy League play, the women’s volleyball squad plays against Princeton tonight at 7 p.m. and Penn tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. The women (5-11, 2-2) look to extend their two-game conference win streak. Last season, the Crimson defeated the Tigers and lost to the Quakers in the same weekend.

Finally, the men’s water polo squad takes a trip down to New York and Connecticut for games tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow evening, and Sunday at noon. Harvard fell to Brown, 12-9, in its last home game of the season yesterday. The Crimson face St. Francis and Queens tomorrow and Connecticut College on Sunday.