In a double-overtime, 109-minute contest Saturday evening, the Harvard soccer team edged out the Quakers 2-1 in a game that saw both defenses harden against potent attacks.
Penn (12-5-0, 5-2-0 Ivy) was hoping for a convincing win in their final regular season game to help bolster their chances for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. After Princeton clinched the Ivy title and a subsequent automatic NCAA berth with a win against Yale earlier Saturday afternoon, an at-large bid is Penn’s only remaining road to the championship.
With so much at stake, the Red and the Blue knew it would face stiff competition from a Harvard team (5-7-5, 2-3-2 Ivy) that was eager to prove it was better than its record.
“We knew Harvard was a good team,” goalkeeper Ben Berg said. “They’ve kind of had an unlucky year, losing a lot of close games, so we knew it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk.”
Both defenses played strongly to begin the game, but things began looking up for the Red and the Blue when junior Christian Barreiro found the back of the net from 25 yards out in the 39th minute.
The lead was short lived, however, as Harvard’s leading scorer, Brian Rogers, responded two minutes later, evening the score.
Those would be the only goals of regulation, as neither team could capitalize on its offensive possessions, despite 11 shot attempts each in two halves of regulation play. The deadlock continued into two overtimes, when Harvard’s Tim Linden scored to end the game in the 109th minute.
“We felt like we did enough to win it,” Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. “Unfortunately, two lapses cost us, and that’s what usually happens when you play good teams.”
Despite the loss, Fuller sees a silver lining.
“I thought we created more chances in that game than we have in a few games, so that’s a good sign going forward.”
Now the team’s fate rests in getting an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, which will be revealed this afternoon.
“We think that we’ve done enough to get ourselves an at large bid, but unfortunately we don’t make the decisions, so we’ve got to wait and see. We’re certainly hoping that the season is extended,” Fuller said.
The NCAA selection show takes place today at 4:30 p.m., and will air on ESPNU.
