Despite graduating five starters, Harvard could repeat as Ivy soccer champions

The race for the Ivy League men's soccer title is wide open with 1996 NCAA Tournament qualifier Harvard and Cornell decimated by graduation. Last year, the Ivy League was voted the second-toughest conference in the nation by the NCAA soccer committee. While defending Ivy League champion Harvard (16-2 in 1996) must cope with the significant loss of five starters, including 1996 Ivy League Player of the Year Will Kohler, the Crimson have a good chance to defend their title and return to the NCAA Tournament. Harvard lost to Hartford 3-2 in the second round of last year's tourney. Returning in goal is junior Jordan Dupuis, a 1996 first team All-Ivy selection who was among the nation's leaders last year in goals against average. The stalwart defense will be maintained by junior sweeper Lee Williams, a second-team All-Ivy pick a year ago, as well as two of the best outside backs in the country in senior Ricky Le and junior Andrew Lundquist. Despite a midfield hit hard by graduation, the Crimson front line will feature senior captain Tom McLaughlin, who led the team in scoring with 13 goals and 15 assists and was a first team All-Ivy last season. "This is the most cohesive team I've ever had here at Harvard," Crimson coach Steve Locker said. "All of these guys are very close, are hard workers, and love the game. I have a good feeling about this year." Many feel that a top contender for the league title is Yale (10-6-1), led by their solid sophomore class. In goal, sophomore David Boehmer, who started most of last season, will see most of the action, and senior captain Sam Powers will also play some. Sophomore midfielders Neil Guilbert and Hiro Suzuki are expected to make a big contribution, while last years Ivy League leading scorer, sophomore Jac Gould (six goals in league play), is now healthy and as explosive as ever. "The potential is there for us to have a good season if we learn from our mistakes," Yale coach Brian Tompkins said. Brown (8-5-4) finished last season with only one league win, but will rely on younger players to help the Bears regain the title they held for two of the last three years. One of only two seniors, Patrick Rea will be back in goal this season. Rea, honorable mention All-Ivy last season, will look to improve upon his 1.20 goals against average. Brown's defense will be led once again by Norwegian senior captain Hans Wittusen. Wittusen, a four-year starter, is one of only two first-team All-Ivy defenders returning in the league this season. In addition, honorable mention All-Ivy sophomore Geoff Walker will help solidify the backfield. The Bears rely on junior midfielder Andy Dixon and sophomores Ryan Smith and John Devine to move the ball upfield for the Bears. For Dartmouth (7-8-2), the many questions still to be answered will only come once the season unfolds. A main concern for Fran O'Leary is who the Big Green's scorers will be. The primary targets seem to be a pair of sophomores, Mike Lewis and Jaime Hozack. On defense, however, there are no question marks. Junior Brendan Reidy, a two-time All-Ivy pick, will be the exclamation point on one of the strongest defensive lines in the league, supported by seniors Zach Samol and Keith Zadourian. For Cornell (12-4-2), earning a fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth will be difficult, as the Big Red return only three starters and five letter-winners from last year's second place finish. A replacement in goal for coach Dave Sarachan will be either senior Dave Wolfe, who missed 1996 with mononucleosis, or sophomore Andrew Barton. On defense, senior Russ Walker and junior Sean McKenna, playing in the middle, will be given the duty of keeping the attack away from the Cornell net. An entirely new midfield will take the field for the Big Red this season, and a revamped forward line will lead the attack. Junior Jacob Dehne, a strong lefty, should emerge as the top goal scorer. Columbia (9-5-3) will look to regain prominence this year, after several mediocre seasons. After dominating the league in the 1980s, the Lions will look for a balance in youth and experience. Returning in goal for Columbia is United States Under-20 National Team keeper Matt Napolean, who is vying to be the region's top netminder this fall. "[Napolean] is an intelligent, extremely quick player with excellent distribution skills," Columbia coach Dieter Ficken said. "We are going to need him to take us to where we need to be." Columbia will again boast a strong backfield, highlighted by junior Anthony Balasamo and sweeper Soroosh Seyhoon, who was one of the league's top freshmen last season. Senior Jeff Traola, 1994 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, will likely return to his role as a defender this year. Princeton (6-8-3) will look to rebound from their injury-plagued last place finish last year. A new goalkeeper, senior Ethan Bing, will be in net this year for the Tigers and is still unproven. He served as a backup to Stuart Reynolds, who graduated last year. Also gone are two standout backs John House and Chris Malik. Several young players will get an opportunity to play this season, including Steve Belmonte, who ended up starting the last eight games last year after an injury. Goal scoring may be a problem again this season. Only Corey Rice and Hayden Jones return from last year's squad, but both are expected to step up their offensive outputs for the Tigers.