It took the Harvard men's soccer team two games to discover there's life without junior captain Ryan Kelly.

Who would've guessed that Kelly's replacement--freshman defender Joe Steffa--would prove the difference?

While those expected to hold down the fort for Harvard (2-3-1, 1-1 Ivy)--seniors Will Hench, a forward and Armando Petruccelli, a midfielder--had fine games yesterday in the Crimson's 3-2 win over Northeastern (4-3), Steffa making his first college start, was the clear man of the match.

"Steffa played really well," Harvard Coach John Kerr said. "The thing we like about him is he's very vocal."

Steffa didn't need to shout to let everyone know he was there.

He made his mark just 3:49 into the game. Steffa headed in a beautiful corner kick by senior midfielder Ryan Keeton from the top of the penalty box to hand Harvard a 1-0 lead.

But on the field, Kelly contributes more than just offense. His 6'0, 175-pound stature makes him a tough, physical defender. While Steffa certainly doesn't have Kelly's size or ruggedness, no Harvard player made a better defensive play than he yesterday.

During the 31st minute of the first half, Northeastern sent a corner kick towards the front of the box. The ball precariously bounced around off a few players and past sophomore goaltender Mike Meagher. It struck virtually on the goal line when Steffa cleared it up out of immediate danger.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," Steffa said.