At Yale last Saturday, the Crimson fell 3-0 after holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the first 60 minutes. Returning to Ohiri Field on Tuesday, Harvard defeated a streaking Northeastern, 3-2, on a last second header from sophomore midfielder Matt Peller.

Peller's poise in the closing minutes of the Northeastern game is representative of a sophomore class that is beginning to settle down and contribute on both sides of the ball.

Sophomore forward John Oslowski also netted a goal of a neat strike from the top of the box, and classmate Nick Lenicheck has been providing constant movement on the left flank for the entirety of the season.

"All the sophomores have been coming along these last couple of games, and things are beginning to click into place," Hench said. "They've played good soccer and they've been really contributing, both in the numbers and in the back."

The Crimson also travels to Palo Alto with a strengthened back line. Junior defender Matt Edwards, a regular starter at the beginning of the season, will return from injury for Friday's game against Stanford.

Sophomore Matt Popa, who started against Northeastern and played a solid game at central defender, should also be ready to come off the bench and contribute in the back.

"It's great to have as many defenders healthy and ready to play as we can," Meagher said. "With the extra quality defenders, we can substitute towards the end of the half and wear down an opposing offense. And with two games in three games, we're going to need 'em all."