This year's freshman class has, among its talented constituents, one of the most gifted soccer players in Harvard history in Emily Stauffer.

She hails from New Canaan, Conn., and has been playing soccer since she was five years old. Since her youth soccer days in Virginia, she has lived and breathed the game.

"I love it, I've grown up with it, and it's a part of my life that I couldn't do without," she says.

Like most soccer players of extraordinary talent, Stauffer has become more and more involved in the game as new outlets for her talent have presented themselves.

In the last two years of her high school career, she played a pivotal role on her school team, starred for Connecticut Omni, a club team, and travelled with her regional soccer team, to France and England. Connecticut Omni won the national title in 1993, helping her clinch a spot on the American Under-19 national team.

As center halfback, she has already scored half of the team's goals, most notably last week against Ivy League rivals Penn to win the game.

According to Harvard Head Coach Tim Wheaton, Stauffer's greatest strength is that she brings out the best in the players around her.

"It's not so much that she has changed our approach or strategy as that she has reinforced our approach and strategy with her excellent skills," Wheaton says.

And her teammates agree whole-heartedly with that assessment. "[Emily is] a playmaker, and an inspiring one, because she brings out the best in other players and she's always involved," senior co-captain Genevieve Chelius says.

Sophomore Phoebe Cummings: "She's got a lot of composure, and she works up the field really well. Most important, she converts when it counts."

Freshman Dana Krein: "One of Emily's strongpoints is that she's always got a good attitude, and that's a definite boost to the team."

That attitude shines through to her outlook on this season. "I think we've got a good chance at the Ivy title," Stauffer says.

"We're 2-0-1 in-league now, and even if we've had a couple of tough losses out-of-league and a couple of injuries, we have the preparation for the road ahead. The important thing is that we take things one game at a time," she says.

In the off-season, Stauffer plans to continue her hard work. Aside from a training program at Harvard, she will train both through the Olympic Development Program and with the national team. In addition, Stauffer plans to try out for the Olympic team.

On top of her tight athletic schedule, Stauffer has an academic schedule that tries to accomodate her interests in government and psychology.