“They are a team finding their way right now,” Clark said. “You never know what to expect because they’re shuffling in new players, trying new systems…It’s difficult to prepare for.”

The historic Harvard-Yale rivalry adds flavor to the matchup. While not as heated as in football, the game still means a lot to the players, especially due to the fact that the two schools recruit from the same pool of high school players.

“Seventy-five percent of [Yale’s] team looked at coming here and for one reason or another didn’t end up here,” Clark said. “That close connection with both schools makes for a great rivalry.”

Great rivalry notwithstanding, the Crimson has beaten the Bulldogs three years in a row.

But Clark feels that his team still has room to grow. Clark mentioned three midfield players in particular to watch: sophomore Ben Tsuda, junior Alex Chi, and senior Adam Rousmaniere.

“Those three are guys who have performed so well in practice and looked so well in games [that] it’s really just a matter of time before they get in the box scores,” Clark said. “It’s about time that they start appearing aside our big names.”

If Yale is to pull off the upset, they will need to find a way to stop these “big names.” The Crimson’s primary offensive weapons include co-captain Andre Akpan, who has six goals, and freshman forward Brian Rogers, who has two game-winning goals and four overall.

The Bulldogs must also circumvent sophomore goalkeeper Austin Harms, who has a .880 save percentage and has allowed only three goals all season. Harms was named this week’s Ivy League Player of the Week—the second time this season that he has received the honor.

Harvard looks to use this game to set a tone for the remainder of the year.

“[Yale] is a huge game for us, based on the fact that we just lost and it’s the first game of the Ivy League season,” Clark said. “It’s the start of Ivy League play. That’s our focus every year.”