Although freshman goaltender Evan Mendez let in six of UConn’s nine shots on goal, the freshman entered into the contest with an impressive 0.71 goals against average.

Junior forward Mackenzie Pridham leads Cal Poly’s attack, scoring three of the Mustang’s nine goals of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Chase Hauser has been undefeated in the net after taking over for freshman Wade Hamilton, posting a .818 save percentage.

Cal Poly started off the season slowly, with consecutive shutout losses to Seattle and Washington. Since then, it has outscored its opponents, 9-2, in four consecutive wins against San Jose State, Valparaiso, Temple and Army, none of which are ranked opponents. This will be the Mustangs’ first contest against an Ivy League opponent.

Despite its 2011 campaign—in which the Crimson won a mere two games—and a slow start this season, the Harvard squad has remained optimistic.

When designing the schedule for this season, Junot sought to challenge his team, stockpiling its schedule with consistently ranked opponents such as the Huskies and the Gauchos in hopes of ultimately competing for the Ivy League title.

“Our overarching goal this season is to win an Ivy league title, [and] any win along the way just helps us get there,” Junot said.

The Crimson has not won an Ivy League Men’s Soccer title since 2009.

The trip to California will be Harvard’s final test before beginning its league schedule against rival Yale. Journeying across the country will bring its challenges, and the weekend looks to be a good gauge of the Crimson’s chances as it enters into Ivy play.