Senior forward Zack Wolfenzon, shown above in earlier action, was the lone member of the Harvard men’s soccer team to find the back of the net in the Crimson’s weekend losses to California Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Harvard fell to Cal Poly on Friday, 2-1, and to UCSB on Sunday, 1-0.

The Harvard men’s soccer team traveled west for its final weekend before the start of Ivy League play but returned empty-handed, falling to Cal Poly on Friday night, 2-1, and to No. 3 UC Santa Barbara, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon.

NO. 3 UC SANTA BARBARA 1, HARVARD 0

Facing one of the highest-ranked opponents on its schedule, the Harvard men’s soccer team failed to tie up the match in the final stretch after allowing an early goal. The Crimson eventually fell, 1-0, to the Gauchos on Sunday afternoon at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium.

With the Crimson (1-5-1) already down a goal 14 minutes into the match, it appeared that UC Santa Barbara (6-0-2) would lengthen its lead in the 33rd minute after junior forward Dom Sarle sent a header toward the left corner of the net.

The Gauchos’ fans were already cheering before they noticed that Harvard freshman goalkeeper Joe Festa had dexterously managed the save.

“It was a shot that shouldn’t have been saved,” junior defender Ross Friedman said. “He dove and barely got a fingertip on it…. Joe came up absolutely huge for us.”

Festa finished with a total of eight saves on the afternoon, limiting UC Santa Barbara to a single score. But it wasn’t enough, as Harvard was unable to find the back of the net on its three shots.

From the starting whistle, the Gauchos midfield pressured relentlessly, keeping the ball on the Crimson defensive end for the majority of the first half. After placing three shots on goal within the first 12 minutes, UC Santa Barabara scored its lone goal in the 14th minute when junior forward Javier Castro headed in a cross that senior defender Peter McGlynn sent into the six-yard box. The Gauchos’ offense continued to apply pressure and kept Harvard from having any offensive chances, topping the Crimson in shots, 8-0, and in corner kicks, 1-0, in the first period.

“I think UCSB came out strong, with a lot of movement off of the ball, so we were on our heels during the first half,” Friedman said. “We were definitely a little frustrated after the first period.”

Moving into the second half, the pace of the game began to shift in Harvard’s favor and the Gauchos’ defense scrambled. Crimson players credited the team’s endurance with its ability to penetrate the Gauchos’ midfield.

“All year we’ve been stressing the importance of fitness,” senior forward Zack Wolfenzon said. “We knew that UCSB would be a good, quick team, but eventually they would give in. We were the fitter team. We really went after them in the second half.”

The Crimson managed to get three shots in the final period, but each was off target. The Gauchos had chances as well, finishing with eight shots of their own in the frame. But thanks in large part to the play of Festa, UC Santa Barbara was unable to capitalize.

“I think going forward, Joe will be playing with a lot more confidence knowing he contested so well against a No. 3 team,” Friedman said. “He just showed a lot of confidence coming in as the backup goalie.”

Although the game ended in a loss, the Harvard team was pleased with its overall performance.

“I was really impressed during the second half.... We had so many chances,” Friedman said. “We really responded well to the No. 3 team in the country. They were a really excellent team.”

Freshman forward Jake Freeman provided the Crimson its best scoring opportunity in the 63rd minute, firing a shot on goal that was stopped by Gaucho keeper Austin Mansker. Harvard continued to apply pressure and sophomore Hiroki Kobayashi recorded the Crimson’s second shot in the 83rd minute, an attempt that went wide.

With the clock running out and less than two minutes remaining in the match, Friedman lobbed in a long throw-in to Freeman, who received the ball and took a left-footed shot that just missed the net—two feet high—for Harvard’s final shot of the match.

“It was unfortunate we didn’t score, but I really think we gave them a scare,” Friedman said.

UC Santa Barbara outshot the Crimson, 8-3, in the second half, but Harvard bested the Gauchos on corner kicks, 5-1.

Wolfenzon believes Sunday’s close contest will provide a confidence boost for Harvard heading into its Ivy opener against Yale (3-3-2) on Saturday.

“[This match] showed [us that] we can hang on the field with one of the top-three teams,” Wolfenzon said. “We are excited and ready [for the start of Ivy play]…. We are confident in our ability to both play soccer and outwork teams.”

CAL POLY 2, HARVARD 1

Despite a strong start, the Harvard men’s soccer team came up just short Friday night, as the Crimson fell to Cal Poly, 2-1, at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in the first of its two weekend contests.

Harvard came out strong against the Mustangs (5-3) in the first half, with junior midfielder Kyle Henderson taking the first shot of the game. Henderson’s attempt sailed over the bar, but the Crimson continued to provide offensive pressure. After Harvard missed its first five shots, senior forward Zack Wolfenzon netted his first goal of the season in the 27th minute to give the Crimson the lead.

Wolfenzon has been a key player for Harvard since returning from injury in the Crimson’s match against Michigan State on Sept. 7.

After the Crimson’s 3-2 overtime loss to Southern Methodist University on Sept. 9, Harvard coach Carl Junot pointed specifically to Wolfenzon and sophomore forward Michael Innocenzi as integral pieces of the Harvard offense.

“We need them to score some goals for us, but they created a lot of our offense by running past their defenders and crossing in balls, so I think they influenced the game in the way we like them too,” said Junot after the loss to SMU. “They just need to score goals.”

Two matches later, Wolfenzon made good on Junot’s wish, dribbling the ball 40 yards down the field through three Mustang defenders. The forward then beat Cal Poly goalie Chase Hauser to give Harvard the 1-0 lead.

The defense also did its part to keep the Mustangs shut out in the first half, limiting their offense to only four shots in the period.

But Harvard had issues with penalties, receiving two yellow cards—one for Wolfenzon and another for the whole team—and a red card on freshmen goalkeeper Evan Mendez, who handled the ball outside of the box for his second red card of the season. Mendez’s ejection forced the Crimson to change goalkeepers, and classmate Festa stepped in late in the first half.

“We were doing well until the red card,” senior co-captain Scott Prozeller said. “Being a man down was difficult.”

Despite these setbacks, Harvard went into halftime boasting a 1-0 lead.

But it was the Mustangs’ quickness that eventually allowed them to outlast the Crimson. And with a man advantage, Cal Poly controlled the ball for most of the second period.

Mustangs junior forward Ian Clark tied up the game in the 53rd minute on a close-range shot. Clark received a pass from junior midfielder George Malki with his back to the goal and then spun around his defender to slot the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

Ten minutes later, it seemed that Harvard had regained its lead when it sent a ball into the back of the net, but the goal was called back after being ruled offside.

Junior forward Chris Bernardi then fired a shot into the top left corner of the net in the 72nd minute to put Cal Poly on top. The Mustangs held the lead and secured their fifth straight victory after the Crimson’s subsequent three shots proved unsuccessul.

—Staff writer Stephanie E. Herwatt can be reached at sherwatt@college.harvard.edu.