Once in Cambridge, the inexperienced kicker was immediately thrown into action his freshman year. But Mothander seemed to be unfazed by the pressure.

“I was probably too naïve to feel [the pressure] too much,” Mothander said.

The sophomore has worked hard to improve his kicks, and over the past summer he remained on campus and trained in the mornings with the football team’s “summer dogs.”

“It never hurts to become a better athlete,” Mothander said. “Our strength and conditioning program is awesome, so it definitely helped.”

This season, Mothander’s hard work has manifested on the field. After making nine of his 15 field goals last season, the Mather house resident has yet to miss one this season.

But Mothander still believes there is room for improvement.

“Kick offs have not been where I want them to be or where they should be,” Mothander said. “I could definitely improve my consistency—that is always something to improve.”

Although it’s still early in the season both Dombrowski and Mothander have made large strides in their abilities, which can be attributed to their hard, regimented work.

“I think both kids had terrific offseasons,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “We gave them some specific goals and very specific things we wanted them to do.”

In positions where controlling the mind can be very difficult, both players have displayed good composure and ease under pressure.

“So much of being a good specialist is shoulders up, not from hips down,” Murphy said.

And so far, the kicking duo has elevated itself to elite status—both above and below the hips.