52 wins. Two Ivy League Championships. Four post-season appearances. No matter how you measure it, the men’s soccer Class of ’09 has had a memorable run.

When their season ended last Sunday with a loss to Maryland in the third round of the NCAA tournament, what many are calling Harvard’s most talented class ever walked off Ohiri field for the last time.

Their impact on the program, though, will be felt for a long time. When this group of seniors entered Harvard in the 2006 season, the team was painfully mediocre. The Crimson had gone 6-8-2 the previous season, and had been hovering around .500 since 1996.

But during the seniors’ tenure, the team has had four consecutive twelve-plus win seasons, and is making a name for itself around the country.

“They’ve definitely put this program on track to maybe become a national powerhouse,” freshman forward Brian Rogers says. “They won the Ivy League as freshmen, and they’ve made the tournament every year.”

“This senior class has raised the expectations for the whole team,” adds Jamie Clark, who took over the Harvard coaching job last season. “With that comes a pride in the program.”

Co-captains Andre Akpan and Brian Grimm, defender Kwaku Nyamekye, and midfielders Adam Rousmaniere and Desmond Mitchell make up the five-some, all of whom held a starting spot on this year’s roster.

“They each brought something unique,” Rogers says. “They all provided a great example of how to be responsible and play well and hold yourself as a Harvard soccer player.”

Akpan, undoubtedly the best player on the Harvard team, scored 12 of the team’s 32 goals this season, and tied or broke nearly every Crimson offensive record in his career.

“He’s going to be in the record books for a long time to come,” Clark says. “He put the ceiling high for everyone.”

Akpan missed a penalty kick in Sunday’s game—a goal that would have given him sole possession of the all-time Harvard scoring record—and remains tied with Chris Ohiri ’64. Akpan graduates at the end of this semester, and will very likely be drafted into Major League Soccer.

Nyamekye, who at times resembled a brick wall in the Harvard defense, also has a potential career in soccer ahead of him.

“Kwaku will be very difficult to replace,” Clark says. “I think he’s the best defender in college soccer. Physically, he can handle any attacking player in the country.”

Nyamekye and the Harvard defense held opponents to 15 goals in 19 games this season.

But even beyond superstardom on the field, the Crimson’s seniors have provided much needed leadership as the program has developed.