The 1998 Harvard women's soccer team will likely fall short of many people's expectations. But few teams in the nation would not want to be in their position.
The Crimson will have to learn how to re-integrate one of the nation's best players, co-captain Emily Stauffer, into an offense that proved it could thrive without her; how to top the season of a life-time with one for the ages; in short, how to put its money where its press is.
The three-time defending Ivy League champion will be expected to add a fourth notch to its belt. The team that shocked everyone but itself in reaching the final eight of the NCAA Tournament before succumbing to perennial champion North Carolina will be expected to make it at least as far in 1998. And Stauffer, who took last fall semester off to spend time with her family, will be expected to make a seamless transition from civilian to field general.
Theirs is surely an enviable challenge.
"The only concern I have is the hype," said Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton, who enters his 12th season at the helm. "You can't believe your press. It can hurt you two ways: You can be complacent because you read it--but I don't think that will happen with this team--or you can be too hard on yourself. We've got to go out and play every day."
How deep is this team? Its roster froths with talent--10 former All-Ivy selections will suit up for the Crimson this season, including the last two winners of the league's top accolade. Senior forward Naomi Miller earned Ivy Player of the Year honors last season after leading the team with six goals and 11 assists in the regular season.
Miller was merely picking up where her teammate Stauffer left off. Stauffer, an All-America midfielder whose two assists on Friday against the University of New Hampshire (UNH) made her Harvard's all-time assist leader (27), was the 1995 and 1996 Player of the Year.
"We're really strong all around the field, and we have a great bench," said co-captain Devon Bingham. "When people come off the bench, it doesn't change the level of play."
Harvard's biggest strength may lie in its formidable midfield, the glue to this talented offense. Stauffer rejoins the team after a trying year in which she took a semester off to spend time with her ailing brother, who lost a two-and-a-half year battle with leukemia in January.
She never lost touch with the team--occasionally serving as a volunteer assistant coach--and took just over three minutes to announce her return, scoring an unassisted goal 3:31 into the 3-0 win over UNH.
"I started playing again in the spring, and all summer long that's all I did," said Stauffer, a two-time finalist for the Missouri Athletic Conference Collegiate Player of the Year award. "I'm just thrilled to be back. This is the most fun I've had in a long time."
Joining Stauffer in the midfield is Bingham, a First-Team All-Ivy selection who finished second on the team in scoring (14 points) and assists (eight) last season. Junior Ashley Berman will look to improve on her Honorable Mention All-Ivy season of a year ago, and sophomore Meredith Stewart and junior Julia Blain should see significant time as well.
Despite the losses of Lindsay Minkus '98, Keren Gudeman '98 and sophomore Erin Aeschliman, who is taking the year off, the team should continue to be strong up front.
Miller's powerful legs, which helped her lead the league in scoring last season, should continue to pace the Crimson offense. With another outstanding year, Miller could become just the 11th player in league history to be voted First-Team All-Ivy four times. Junior Beth Zotter, a Second-Team All-Ivy pick in 1997, should fill the other starting spot at forward.
Senior goaltender Jennifer Burney, who two Browning and Burney split time between theposts last season, but Wheaton said Browning isthe starter for now. Read more in SportsRecommended Articles
