CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's soccer hosts Central Connecticut State University in its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Jordan Field as it kicks off its 2022 campaign. 

What to Know

• In 2021, Harvard closed the season on a three-game Ivy League winning streak, finishing the year in fourth place in the conference standings and above .500 (8-5-3, 3-2-2 Ivy) for the first time since 2016. The Crimson went 4-1-1 in its last six contests of the 2021 campaign.
• The Crimson returns all four of its All-Ivy honorees from last fall, including Ivy League Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Ivy selection Alessandro Arlotti, First Team All-Ivy selection Willem Ebbinge, Second Team All-Ivy pick Martin Vician, and Honorable Mention All-Ivy honoree Jan Riecke.
• Last season Arlotti led the Ivy League in game-winning goals (six), while ranking second in both points (25) and goals (nine). Ebbinge paced the Ancient Eight in assists (10) while Vician led the conference in goals (six) during Ivy League play.
• Harvard was selected to finish fourth in the 2022 Ivy League Men's Soccer Preseason Media Poll. The Crimson totaled 89 points to land in the top half of the eight-team poll. Princeton – last year's Ivy champions – took the top spot with 123 points and 12 first-place votes.
• As a team, Harvard returns eight of its 11 goal scorers from a year ago. The Crimson brings back 25 of its 31 goals (80.6 percent) from 2021.
• In goal, Harvard brings back both of its goalkeepers who saw action a season ago in Oskar Nilsson and Gianluca Trofa. Last fall, Nilsson ranked 13th in the NCAA and second in the Ivy League in saves per game (5.08).
• Josh Shapiro, The Virginia B and James O. Welch Jr. '52 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Soccer, enters his second competitive season as the leader of the Crimson. Shapiro captured four NCAA Division III national championships during his time at Tufts.
• CCSU enters the match with a 2-0-0 record, coming off victories over Hartford (4-0) and St. Bonaventure (1-0). Harvard holds a 3-3-1 all-time record vs. the Blue Devils, including a 4-0 victory over CCSU in last year's season opener.

Next Up

Harvard hosts Bryant on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Jordan Field.