Co-captain Jaren LaGreca fights a Stanford player for the ball last Saturday during Harvard’s first-ever night soccer game. The No.6 Crimson will be on the road to face a top-ten Connecticut team. Harvard is currently 2-0, propelled by a strong group of underclassmen players.

The Harvard men’s soccer team is back to its previous peak.

After starting the season with a No. 10 ranking, the Crimson convincingly defeated then-No. 13 Stanford and UMass last week to gain four spots in the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) National Poll. The last time the team claimed a No. 6 ranking was last year, when Harvard, led by top Crimson goal-scorer Andre Akpan ’10, captured the Ivy League title and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

This time around, the underclassmen are having a huge part in the rise towards the top. But the young Harvard squad faces another big test this weekend—a duel with No. 10 Connecticut on the road.

The last time the two teams met, the Crimson had the same ranking, but the Huskies humbled Harvard with a 4-0 score.

Even though the upperclassmen know what the Huskies will bring to the table, many of the young faces on the team have shown so far that they are eager to make their own mark.

Sophomore Brian Rogers, second on the team in goals scored last year with six tallies, already has two goals in as many matches—both tiebreakers.

Another sophomore, Scott Prozeller, has played every minute thus far while a handful of rookies have gotten big minutes.

“Three freshmen came in off the bench and gave huge lifts,” Crimson co-captain Robert Millock said after the Stanford game. “Guys stepped up who haven’t started in the past. We have five new starters this year, so I think it was a great team effort and testament to the coaches.”

In Monday’s matchup against UMass, Prozeller was able to tie the game at one off of a ricocheted shot from freshman Connor McCarthy. This came as a result of a corner kick by freshman Kyle Henderson, who had another assist later on in the match. Henderson crossed the ball from the right side of the field over to classmate Ross Friedman. Friedman had no trouble connecting his head with the ball, putting Harvard ahead for good.

This underclassman emergence is not altogether surprising. The Crimson returned only seven starters from last year, allowing the freshmen to take advantage of the opportunity.

Last year’s team started the campaign 6-0, and Harvard hopes to make it 3-0 at Storrs, Conn.

Connecticut will pose a stern test for the Crimson, though, demonstrated by the fact that the Huskies have a perfect 3-0 record, outscoring their opponents 11-1 so far.

Rookie Mamadou Diouf, who already has 11 points thanks to five goals and two assists, has been spearheading Connecticut’s offense thus far. Three of his teammates each have three assists, an indication that this team’s arsenal of players can set up a dangerous offensive attack.

But the Huskies have yet to beat a ranked opponent, and the Crimson will set out to justify its high ranking.

So far, Harvard has exhibited a potent offense, outshooting opponents 32-22, 16 of them on goal. Crimson coach Carl Junot is specific about his tactics, wishing that his team not only control the ball and but also make it matter every time.

“What we focus on is possession with a purpose, and I thought that’s what we were most effective at,” Junot said in reference to the Stanford game. “We possessed the ball with the purpose of going behind their defense and that’s where we were better than they were, being more direct at goal…We are willing to concede some [possession] to be a more dangerous attacking team.”

In goal, junior Austin Harms has not had a clean sheet yet, owning a 1.50 goals-against average. Connecticut’s Josh Ford has only allowed one shot past him in three games and will be finally tested by a top-10 attack.

Ford’s top threats to a clean sheet will be Rogers and junior Jamie Rees, who leads the team with eight shots.

—Staff writer Brian A. Campos can be reached at bcampos@fas.harvard.edu.