Harvard Men's Soccer Seeks to Defeat Yale in Ivy League Tournament Semifinals

Strategic Insights -

As the Crimson opens postseason play, they seek to defeat the Bulldogs for the second time this season, with a 3-1 victory on October 14 giving Harvard the tiebreaker over Yale to claim the No. 2 seed in the Ivy Tournament. The winner of the Harvard-Yale matchup will advance to meet either No. 1 seed Penn or No. 4 seed Brown in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament on Sunday, November 12. Harvard's second-place finish in the conference standings marked the Crimson's highest placement in the conference table since 2015.

Key Takeaways:

  • Harvard Men's Soccer has scored a game-winning or game-tying goal in the 78th minute or later six times this season, including against Seton Hall, Vermont, Yale, Holy Cross, Princeton, and Dartmouth.
  • In Ivy League play, Harvard led the conference with 12 goals, averaging 1.714 goals per game in league competition.
  • The Crimson has converted all four of its penalty kick chances this season, with junior Alessandro Arlotti, senior Ale Gutierrez, and senior Willem Ebbinge each making one penalty kick.
  • Harvard has posted a 9-2-6 mark over its last 17 Ivy League games, with a 4-1-3 mark over its last eight contests and a 5-2-5 record over its last 12 games this season.
  • The Crimson has permitted one or fewer goals in eight of its last 10 games, and has allowed one or fewer goals in 12 of its 16 matches in 2023.
  • Junior Alessandro Arlotti leads the Crimson with 18 points on the year, behind six goals and six assists.
  • Arlotti stands third in the Ivy League in points (18), second in assists (six), fifth in goals (five), second in shots (52), and third in shots on goal (22) in conference play.

Statistics:

  • Harvard has scored 12 goals in Ivy League play, averaging 1.714 goals per game in league competition.
  • The Crimson has converted all four of its penalty kick chances this season, with a success rate of 100%.
  • Junior Alessandro Arlotti has scored six goals and made six assists this season, with a total of 18 points.
  • Harvard has permitted 30 goals in 16 matches this season, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.875.

Sources:

  • "No. 2 Harvard Meets No. 3 Yale in Ivy League Tournament Semifinals," Harvard University Athletics
  • "Crimson Seeks to Defeat Yale in Ivy League Tournament Semifinals," Harvard University Athletics
  • "Harvard Men's Soccer Seeks to Defeat Yale in Ivy League Tournament Semifinals," Harvard University Athletics