A Year Wiser, Sophomores Ready To Bring ‘A’ Game

By Martin Kessler, Crimson Staff Writer February 25, 2011

According to VanderMeulen, that is not a problem.

“Last year, I was definitely lacking in my assist column. I don’t like that. I like team offense,” said VanderMeulen, who finished 2010 with 10 assists. “[If] instead of having 56 goals, I have 30 goals and 20 assists, I would much rather prefer that.”

Micaela Cyr and Danielle Tetreault are two of VanderMeulen’s classmates who should reap the benefits of the attacker’s focus on distributing the ball.

Last season, Cyr—a 5’6” midfielder—got off to a slow start but ended the year with a bang, notching 11 goals in the Crimson’s final five contests. Cyr finished the season third on the Harvard squad in scoring with 19 goals and first in draw controls with 36. For her strong finish, Cyr received an All-Ivy honorable mention.

Tetreault also had a solid rookie campaign, totaling 20 goals and 10 assists.

But both Tetreault and Cyr’s numbers could see a bump this season.

“Everyone has stepped up so much. Danielle and Micaela come to mind at the moment, because they’re not afraid to go to goal,” VanderMeulen said. “I think our season last year gave them so much more confidence.”

But Tetreault, Cyr, and VanderMeulen aren’t the only three sophomores expected to make a major impact for the Crimson this year.

Nina Kucharczyk, who entered the starting lineup midway through the 2010 season, should see increased playing time at midfield from game one this spring.

“Nina is one of the fastest people I know,” Tetreault said. “No one can catch her when she decides to go to goal.”

If the Crimson is to improve on last year’s 3-4 conference record, it will need its talented sophomore class to step up—whether on the field or in a leadership role.

“We took it pretty hard on ourselves to lose...big games or make rookie mistakes [last year],” VanderMeulen said. “We’re not going to make the same mistakes this year. We’ve been through a season, and we know what it’s like. We don’t want to play the youth card anymore.”

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.