Harvard Gets Aggressive and Hands St. Francis a 2-1 Soccer Loss

Thank goodness for the elasticity of modern fabrics or the Harvard-Westlake and St. Francis boys’ soccer teams might have wound up half-naked Friday night.

In a contest that resembled a street fight more than a soccer match, visiting Harvard defeated the Golden Knights, 2-1, in a Mission League match.

The players were at each other from the opening whistle, colliding frequently and often grabbing at each other’s uniforms with enough force to slam their opponents to the turf.

It was fast-paced, high-intensity soccer on both sides, but Harvard’s size and defensive play earned it the victory.

“Our problem all year has been that we lose tight games because we’re not aggressive enough,” Harvard senior sweeper Jason Morrow said. “But tonight we won the loose balls and the ones in the air so the other aspects of our game were easier to take care of.”

Harvard (10-5-3, 4-3 in league play) took care of St. Francis (14-3, 4-2) with offense early and defense late. The Wolverines struck for a pair of first-half goals, both coming off long crossing passes from the right wing.

Harvard’s first strike came in the 24th minute when Dan Sable took a short pass from Ryan Harrison and scored from close range. The second came in the 37th minute when Peter Richards redirected Jon Barry’s pass into the net from five yards.

After that, it was up to the Wolverines to hang on.

St. Francis, the more skilled team and the defending league champion, attacked the Harvard goal in waves. The passing of midfielders Pete Vagenas and Eric Johnson allowed the Golden Knights to move from the center line to the Wolverines’ penalty area with ease.

But once there, St. Francis could score only once, in the 71st minute on a shot by forward Shunta Shimizu.

“[St. Francis] was counterattacking with a lot of guys,” Morrow said. “It seemed like they had five or six guys up there, and they got their goal on a fast break where we didn’t get enough guys back.”

For most of the night, Morrow, goalkeeper Justin Child and the other Harvard defenders were up to the task. Child made only four saves, but two denied certain goals. Morrow repeatedly intercepted passes, boomed clearing kicks to midfield and even headed away several balls while on his knees.