The eligibility hassle was not Hall's only problem freshman year. A new country, a new soccer program and the American college environment combined to force a major adjustment for Hall.
"Freshman year was horrible on and off the field," Hall says. "I had no idea what to expect. I was sort of naive."
Hall switched from playing 180 soccer games a year to seeing action in only two. And he went from the English high school system--where grades are based entirely on a final exam--to stacks of problem sets in Harvard's engineering program.
"It was really frustrating," Hall says. "But there was so much more to do which took my mind off it."
Now Hall's concentrating on his soccer game, and the effort has paid off. He has blanked Harvard's last three opponents, bringing his season shutout total to seven.
The Crimson (14-0-3 overall) swept through the regular season undefeated, garnering an Ivy title and a second straight trip to the Final Four.
With a big help from the little kid picked last at the playground.