For the first time since 2010, the women’s soccer team prevailed over Harvard with a 1-0 win in Cambridge Saturday. A goal from Jennifer Caruso ’19 and a shutout from goalkeeper Christine Etzel ’19 fueled Brown to victory, snapping a two-game slump and giving the Bears sole possession of fifth place in the Ivy League standings.
“The senior class has never beaten Harvard, so we’re really happy that we were able to get the result,” Head Coach Kia McNeill said. “It’s even greater for the future of this program, setting a new expectation going forward.”
Caruso scored the lone goal in the 54th minute, securing the victory for the Bears (9-4, 2-2 Ivy). Caruso collected a looping pass from Maclaine Lehan ’18, before sending a shot above a diving goalkeeper and into the right corner of the net. The goal was her second in two games.
“It was great for the team to get another win and a shutout,” Etzel wrote in an email to The Herald. “It’s exciting to still be improving with every game and continuing to build confidence as individuals and as a team.”
The Bears delivered a solid offensive performance, outshooting the Crimson (7-7, 1-3) 15-12. Bruno also held a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks.
“We were really trying to push the pace of the game and attack the goal from both sides of the field,” Etzel wrote. “We always look to pressure the other team on all parts of the field, so our high pressure caught Harvard by surprise a couple times.”
“We matched them up in the (3-5-2 formation) — we wanted our wing midfielders to get involved with the attack and be more on the offensive,” McNeill said. “We were looking to switch the point of attack, and we gained some success from that.”
A strong defensive presence in the zone allowed the Bears to shut the Crimson down.
“This week, we did a very good job … denying services and denying shots,” McNeill said. “I’m really proud of the way the defense played — they’ve deserved a shutout for a couple of games now, so I’m glad we got one against a very good team.”
Etzel recorded her third shutout of the season, making four saves. For the first time ever, she faced off against her twin sister Danielle, who played in net for the Crimson in the first half.
Facing her sister down the field was a strange experience, Etzel wrote.
“It was weird, to be honest,” Etzel wrote. “We’ve never actually played against each other on the same field, but we both went out and played like we normally would in any other Ivy League game.”
As the Bears prepare for their final trio of conference games, they seek to maintain their work ethic on and off the field.
“We’ve just got to focus on what we can do as a team and keep working hard,” Etzel wrote. “We want to finish out this season in the best way possible. Anything can happen in the Ivy League as every game is so important.”
The Bears visit Cornell Saturday, before returning home to host Penn at Stevenson-Pincince Field Oct. 28.
