May 6, 2010

Harvard Releases 2010 Men’s Soccer Schedule

Pictured: Austin Harms recorded seven shutouts last fall.
Photo courtesy: David Silverman

2010 Harvard Men's Soccer Schedule

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men’s soccer team, which has reached the NCAA tournament in each of the last four seasons, will play six home games and face nine teams that qualified for last year’s NCAA postseason this upcoming fall. 

The Crimson under the tutelage of Jamie Clark, the Virginia B. and James O. Welch, Jr. ’52 Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Soccer, will play 17 regular-season games during the 2010 season, as Harvard looks to repeat as Ivy League champion.

Harvard begins its season by hosting Stanford at Ohiri Field Sept. 4, before visiting intrastate rival Massachusetts Sept. 6.  Following a road game at Connecticut Sept. 10, the Crimson will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to face UC Santa Barbara Sept. 17 and New Mexico Sept. 19, two 2009 NCAA tournament participants.  Harvard concludes a stretch of six road contests at Stony Brook Sept. 24 and at Boston University Sept. 26.

The Crimson returns to Cambridge to play Providence Sept. 28, before opening the Ivy League portion of its schedule against archrival Yale Oct. 2.  After a midweek road game at Holy Cross Oct. 6, Harvard will host Cornell Oct. 9, before visiting Brown Oct. 16. 

On Oct. 19, the Crimson will close out its non-conference slate at home against Boston College, before finishing the regular season with three Ivy games.  Harvard will visit Princeton Oct. 23 and Dartmouth Oct. 30, before returning home to host Columbia on Senior Day Nov. 6. 

“Our goal is to play the most competitive schedule each year,” Clark said. “This year we are playing nine NCAA tournament teams, with seven of those games coming on the road.    We will be challenged every step of the way, but a team full of competitors wouldn't want it any other way,” he continued.

“Each year the Ivy League keeps getting better,” Clark added.  “It's now widely perceived as one of the top conferences in the nation.    Half of the teams in the league made it to the NCAA tournament last year, and I expect to see this trend continue.  This will make it a huge challenge for us to repeat as conference champion.”

Harvard, which posted a 14-4-1 overall record last fall, won the Ivy League crown, going 5-1-1 in league play.  The Crimson advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament by defeating Monmouth, 3-0, at Ohiri Field.  Harvard reached as high as No. 6 in the national polls, tying the highest the program has ever been ranked. 

Andre Akpan ’09 and Kwaku Nyamekye ’10 were selected in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, as Akpan was chosen in the second round with the 22nd overall pick by the Colorado Rapids.  Nyamekye was picked 60th overall in the fourth round by the Columbus Crew. In addition, Clark was honored as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Mondo Northeast Region Coach of the Year.

Rising seniors Jaren LaGreca, a defender, and Robert Millock, a midfielder and defender, will captain the Crimson during the upcoming season.  

Game times and dates are subject to change.