The Harvard women's soccer team is basking in a weekend of opposites.
On Friday, Harvard lined up against perhaps its hardest opponent of the season, Stanford, and suffered a 3-0 beating. Two days later, the Crimson faced one of the weaker teams on its schedule, Columbia, and came away with a satisfying 2-0 victory.
Against Columbia, which finished seventh in the Ivies last year, Harvard jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 33:38, when sophomore Libby Eynon dumped the ball into the lower right corner of the net past Columbia goalie Rachel Barney. Fifty minutes later, freshman forward Katie DeLellis pushed the score to two with a virtually identical shot.
The Crimson certainly didn't overpower the Lions--Harvard recorded nine shots, Columbia six--but it got offensive production from two new faces, a welcome development considering the team lost its top scorers from last year to graduation.
Not Much Offense
Unfortunately for Harvard, the team didn't show much of an offense Friday at Ohiri Field. Instead, second-ranked Stanford bombarded Harvard for 35 shots to record a 3-0 shutout.
The highlight for the Crimson, however, was a remarkable performance by junior Brooke Donahoe. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native stopped 23 shots, breaking a record set in 1987 by former Ivy Player of the Year Tracee Whitley. Whitley made 18 saves against Boston College in 1987.
Harvard plays its next game tomorrow when it plays at Massachusetts.
Honors for Men
Harvard freshman midfielder Chris Wojick was named Ivy Rookie of the Week for his two assists against Columbia.
Wojick engineered both of Harvard's overtime goals to give the Crimson its first extra-session victory since 1989.
Captain Jason Luzak, who tallied the game-winner, was named to the Ivy honor roll.
Big Waves in Soccer
The Ivy men's soccer world felt a bit of an earthquake this weekend, when previously unheralded Brown upset 11th-ranked Yale in Providence. Sophomore Darren Eales scored two goals in Brown's first victory over the Bulldogs since 1983.
The key to the Bears is Coach Trevor Adair, who is rebuilding the program with a cast of newcomers. Adair starts seven rookies or transfers including Eales, who used to attend West Virginia.
Even if Brown does pull ahead in the Ivies, it will certainly face some competition from Princeton, which is rapidly emerging as a force in Ancient Eight soccer. Behind assist-specialist Joe Thieman, a junior midfielder from Vienna, Va., the Tigers are 3-0. They've outscored opponents 8-2.
Early Contenders
Both traditional-favorite Cornell and Yale look like the early season contenders for the Ivy title in women's soccer. Cornell shut out its first three opponents and then topped Colgate, 2-1, in overtime Sunday, behind the efforts of freshman goalie Kate Alexander.
Yale is also undefeated, having beaten Vermont, Stony Brook and Brown.
The win against the Bears was the Bulldogs' first victory ever in Providence.
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