3-2-1 … Lift-off!

Or at least that's what the men's soccer team hopes to do.

After beginning the season with three wins, two losses, and a tie, Harvard is poised to rocket to a strong finish and a possible chance at the Ivy League title--or self-destruct in a fiery explosion of mediocrity.

Essentially, the Crimson's season--and its aspirations for its first title since 1996--hinge on the next two weeks. Harvard is in the midst of a five-game homestand that will, in hackneyed terms, either make or break the young team's season.

Yesterday, Harvard got off to a good start by defeating the Northeastern Huskies 2-1 at rain-soaked Ohiri Field.

Interestingly, yesterday's win both showcased the ingredients of a recipe for continued success and evinced the possible elements that may eventually keep the Crimson from its preseason goal of an Ivy Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Let's get the bad news out of the way first.

Yesterday's score was 2-1. The game was not that close. Harvard outshot Northeastern 24-11, had almost twice as many corner kicks, and generally had the better of the play. In fact, Northeastern's only goal was more the result of a Crimson defensive miscue than any brilliant play by the Huskies.

Simply put, Harvard has had problems finishing many scoring opportunities and has let its few mistakes materialize into opposing goals.

This was the case in the 1-0 wins against West Virginia and Vermont. This was even the case in the 2-2 tie against Boston University and the 2-1 loss to Ivy-powerhouse Brown.

The Brown game is of special note. Harvard had a legitimate opportunity to win its Ivy opener and stun the Bears but fell victim to, among other things, a Crimson deflection that wound up as a Brown goal and several missed scoring chances.

To fully capitalize on this crucial homestand (which includes important Ivy contests with Cornell and Yale), Harvard must be able to finish more efficiently on offense and hold more resiliently on defense.

The Crimson, though, has ample reason to believe it can ignite its season in the next couple of weeks. Again, yesterday's game offered many examples that have been characteristic of the entire season.

The brightest point from yesterday's game--and the season in general--is senior Ryan Kelly, the emotional and assertive captain of the team.

Against the Huskies, Kelly opened the scoring with a well-timed header off a lob from freshman forward Spencer George. Later, with his team tied and looking to break the deadlock, Kelly found freshman Kevin Ara in the box for his fourth assist of the year.

Harvard has scored seven goals this season. Kelly has been directly involved in five of those tallies.

However, Kelly is more than the quarterback of the team and its points leader. Kelly brings calm and confident leadership to a team almost completely comprised of sophomores and freshmen. His biggest contribution to the team doesn't show up on paper.

Another positive for the Crimson has been the play of its young players. Sophomores Joe Steffa and Mike Lobach have continued to impress in the backfield and newcomer George has scored two game-winning goals in six games.

Harvard has scored seven goals this season. Freshmen and sophomores have been directly involved in all seven.

At the beginning of the season, the Crimson's largest liability was its youth. Now, the underclassmen are a clear asset.

But perhaps the most overlooked component of the Crimson's recent (and future) success is junior goalkeeper Dan Mejias.

Mejias' play in net this season has been outstanding. He has recorded two shutouts thus far, a 1.17 goals against average, and has amassed 37 saves.

Even in losing efforts, Mejias has always given Harvard a chance to win. Last year, Harvard was 4-3 in games decided by one goal. This year, the Crimson is 3-1 thanks in large part to the tenacity of Mejias' net play.

In short, the next two weeks afford Harvard a clear opportunity to shape its destiny for the season. If the Crimson can win all of its games, there is a good chance we will write of these weeks as the launching pad of the Ivy Champions.

Of course, if Harvard does stumble in the next two weeks, all is not necessarily lost. Then again, flaming wreckage is hardly championship material.