Success has come in stages, season by season, for Coach John Kerr and the Harvard men’s soccer team. One year after a disappointing one-win, last place Ivy League finish, the Crimson rebounded successfully with a 10-5-1 2001 campaign that garnered them a national top-20 ranking and an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite the NCAA appearance, the team’s first since 1996, last year’s strong season was marred by a late season loss to Brown that cost the Crimson its first Ivy title in six years. Its unfinished league business is what motivates this year’s talented and experienced squad.

“Winning an Ivy title was definitely the first goal we set this year,” said senior midfielder Joe Steffa. “As a team, we want to progress past our earlier accomplishments.”

Harvard has every reason to be optimistic entering Kerr’s fourth seaon at the helm. The team only lost two starters to graduation and the remaining veterans are almost exclusively upperclassmen who have played together for the last three years.

“We have so much experience as a team because many of us have been starting since our freshman year,” Steffa said. “Also, the experience gained from last season can’t be taken away.”

Sophomore Jamie Roth, who will take over for departed goalkeeper Dan Mejias, started important Ivy games against Cornell and Princeton last year and looks to build upon that experience to anchor the Crimson defense.

“Last year was so great because I learned a lot both from game experience and also from watching Dan (Mejias) play,” Roth said. “The overall experience was very important in making the jump from high school soccer to college soccer.”

Roth will have help in the backfield, as the Crimson returns all four starters from last year, including First Team All-Ivy standout senior Mike Lobach and the team’s new captain, senior Michael Cornish.

“As much as the offensive guys may not like to hear this, I think the defense will really be the cornerstone of the team,” Steffa said.

If the Crimson can count on its solid and decorated defense in addition to the scoring prowess of returning starters Kevin Ara and Ladd Fritz, then many on the team believe that a deeper run into the postseason is possible.

“I think we’re a legitamate contender,” Roth said. “If we come together as a unit and play with few mistakes, then there’s no reason that we can’t turn some heads.”

The Crimson will open its season today at Ohiri Field against the Vermont Catamounts. And if the returning experience is any indication, as Roth commented, “the sky is the limit” with his year’s edition.

—Staff writer Dan Fernandez can be reached at dfernand@fas.harvard.edu.