This season ushers in a new era in Harvard men's soccer thanks to the arrival of coach John Kerr. Resting on Kerr's shoulders are the hopes of a

powerful team, full of confidence that it can have a breakthrough year for the program.

Kerr, who won the national championship once as a player at Duke, has put big dreams into the minds of his Crimson players. They look to build upon last year's mediocre season under the questionable leadership of Coach Steve Locker.

This year, Kerr has put together an extremely challenging schedule to test his Crimson. With games against national powerhouses like Creighton and Stanford, Harvard will have its chance to prove that it can play with the best

"There are going to be a lot of tests this year," Kerr said.

The Harvard players do not lack confidence.

"There's an incredible sense of optimism on this team," sophomore goalkeeper Mike Meagher said. "We're excited about playing because we believe we have a great chance of going really deep into the [NCAA] tournament."

Last year, Harvard started slow but went 8-2-1 in its last 11 games to finish a respectable 8-6-2 overall. This year, the Crimson wants to get going on the right foot and maintain its success throughout the season.

Harvard is a team full of standouts at every position, but nowhere is the sense of professionalism and commitment greater than at the helm of the club. Kerr is looking to turn the program around. He is off to a good start, having instilled a sense of confidence and excitement in his young team.