With junior co-captain Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu absent from the midfield Saturday evening because of a hamstring injury, Harvard men’s soccer coach Pieter Lehrer had to shuffle his lineup to accommodate for his missing player.

Among those adjustments was the relocation of senior Andrew Chang. Chang, normally a stalwart in the backline, moved up to the midfield, a role he had not played all year. But despite being out of position, however, the senior never missed a beat.

Following a weak clearance by a Brown defender in the 68th minute, Chang controlled the ball with his chest, setting up a volley that he struck into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Crimson (5-4-2, 3-0-0 Ivy) a 1-0 victory over the Bears (6-5-1, 1-1-1) and its first three-win start to conference play in seven years.

“[During] halftime we talked about the second balls in the box,” Chang said. “When it came to me, I trusted it and kicked it as hard as I could, and it went in.”

Following a long throw-in and a series of deflections in the box, senior forward Michael Innocenzi crossed the ball into the center before the ball redirected to Chang, whose first goal of the season raced past diving junior netminder Erik Hanson.

The score was the result of a relentless Harvard attack that kept active throughout the game. The Crimson controlled possession and managed 16 shots—only three of which were on goal—compared to nine for the Bears, who managed to put five on goal.

Harvard threatened early, as senior forward Oliver White struck a powerful attempt from outside the box, forcing Hanson to tip the shot over the bar. In the second stanza, classmate Jake Freeman nearly doubled the Crimson’s lead after a botched clearance by Hanson laid the ball onto the senior, who took a few strides into the box attempting to get past defender Jack Hagstrom but sailed his effort over the crossbar.

The storyline, however, could have been vastly different for both teams.

After a series of deflections off a Brown corner in the 16th minute, Brown rookie Jack Hagstrom managed to get his head on the ball deep inside the penalty box. But the attempt at goal was cleared off the line by junior center back Alex Leondis, preserving the nil-nil scoreline.

“He has been one of the best defenders in the conference,” Lehrer said. “He’s been fantastic. He is a great defender [and] he communicates well. His clearance off the line is his heads-up play and he’s been outstanding for us.”

Co-captain and goalkeeper Evan Mendez was called upon to preserve Harvard’s lead with just seven minutes left, as the senior parried away a strong effort by Brown sophomore midfielder Louis Zingas and alertly swatted it away with his glove to prevent further shots.

After struggling early in the season, the defense has come to life for the Crimson as the back four—which incorporated sophomores Justin Crichlow and Tyler Savitsky as fullbacks for the first time this year—registered its third straight shutout.

Mendez continued his string of strong performances as well, saving all five shots which came on target. Following the early scare, the Harvard defense held the Bears to no shots over the last 25 minutes of the first half.

The Crimson has conceded just one goal so far in Ancient Eight action and became just the second opponent to stifle the Bears’ attack.

“Defensively, we held our ground,” Chang said. “I think that’s what we’re good at. We play defense hard, and we keep fighting.”

The victory gives Harvard its first 3-0-0 start in conference play since 2008 and leaves them in a tie atop the Ancient Eight with Dartmouth.

“The guys have earned it, and they fought for it,” Lehrer said. “We still haven’t found our rhythm as a playing team; in training we’ve been fantastic… and it hasn’t moved onto the field yet. But the fight has not stopped, so we’re getting a result just by the fighting and the grinding.”

Staff writer Julio Fierro can be reached at julio.fierro@thecrimson.com.