Fall Fiesta Hits All the Right Notes, Harvard Men's Soccer Wins 1-0

Kudos and a job well done to Harvard Athletics on their second annual Fall Fiesta soccer game, a game where the hosts defeated Northeastern 1-0 (more on that later). Unlike last year, I was in the stands, rather than the broadcast booth, for this game, and Harvard did a great job of generating student turnout for this game. Between innovative prizes (free laundry for a year) and the promise of free Crimson Cash, t-shirts, and drawstring bags, as well as free Coke products, there was plenty to get students to come out, and stay, for the game.

The Hills Were Alive
The best feature of Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium may be its location. Sitting in the stands gives you an imposing look at Harvard Stadium, and during night games, some of the Boston skyline is also visible. But the second best feature, and the most notable tonight, are the hills behind both goals. Sort of like the old European-style terraces, the hills encourage standing and are a natural congregating spot for Harvard undergrads (particularly behind the opposition's goal in any given half.) It was from there that most of the chants originated: the standard "Let's Go Harvard," the "I Believe That We Will Win" that started at Lavietes Pavillion, the "Ole, Ole" of futbol, and even an "It's All Your Fault" transplanted from the ice of the Bright Center. Sure, one minor criticism was that the chants tended to stay on the hill, but that's because the stands were mostly the province of the freshmen, who didn't know any better. Still, the stands got more into it as the game went on, and soon every goal scoring opportunity from the Crimson was met with Harvard fans rising to their feet.

Harvard Fan Comment of the Night
"Give him a Grammy!" - guy in my section after a perceived flop by a Northeastern player. Right idea, wrong awards show.

Oh yeah, the game
On top of the atmosphere, the game on the pitch lived up to the billing. Harvard seems more comfortable in the second year of Coach Junot's system and really pressed Northeastern from the get-go. That said, Harvard lacked the clinical touch in the final third for much of the game, and the best opportunity was actually the Huskies: a diving header in the box that was turned away by star senior keeper Austin Harms. Finally, though, the Crimson benefited from a set piece and in the 83', Brian Rodgers had the ball fall to him off a corner and he slotted it in to the lower left corner of the net.

More, More
Besides the creation of the Crimson rewards program that benefits attending select games, Harvard has really done a great job in encouraging student turnout. The night football games have been such a hit that Harvard is now adding a second to the schedule. Thanks in part to their winning ways, basketball has been one of the hardest tickets to get on campus. And this year, many of the men's and women's soccer games will be played under the lights of Soldier's Field. That said, Harvard should push to have more "big events" like the Fall Fiesta. For example, a "Winter Festival" with either basketball or hockey the weekend students return for the second semester, taking advantage of the relative lack of classes and work for students during "shopping period", much as the Fall Fiesta does, as well as the continuation of the "Spring Carnival" that centers around lacrosse. Again, though, a job well done to Harvard Athletics for getting more students to events. It's a positive trend to see so many budding sports fans don their school colors.

Men's Soccer: Haitian Team Roster and Facts

On Sunday, Harvard men's soccer will take on the Haitian national team in a charity match designed to raise money for relief of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Le Rouge et Bleu are currently ranked 99th in the world out of 202 FIFA nations. Haiti is a member of CONCACAF, the same continental grouping as the United States. Haiti's last major win came in the 2007 Caribbean Nation's Cup and their lone appearance in the World Cup was in 1974. They had 1 win, 2 losses and a draw in the 2009 Gold Cup, the region's biennial championship but failed to qualify for the 2011 edition. Haiti has played one international friendly this year, losing one-nil to El Salvador in February. They will play another, opponent TBD, in June in preparation for the 2014 World Cup Qualifying.

Because of FIFA's rules, Les Grenadiers will not be featuring their full strength 'A' squad, because clubs are only required to release players for FIFA sanctioned international friendlies. Therefore, the squad all play their domestic soccer for clubs in Haiti.

This game, to be held at Harvard Stadium on Sunday April 10, at 5pm, can be heard live on 95.3 FM and WHRB.org in English.


Below the jump, the roster and some facts about Harvard's opponent in this charity match.

September Schedule Announcement

With a new academic year fast approaching, WHRB Sports, the student voice of Harvard football and the home of Harvard hockey, is pleased to announce our September on-air broadcasting schedule on 95.3 FM WHRB and whrb.org. The September schedule will feature 4 live sports broadcasts and the continuation of our weekly sports talk program, Crimson Sportstalk, on Sundays from 1 pm to 1:45 pm.

Saturday, September 4th: Harvard Men's Soccer vs. Stanford, 7pm
The #10/#29 Harvard Crimson will play their first game under the lights at Harvard's newest athletic facility, Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium when they square off against the PAC-10's #13/#13 Stanford Cardinal. WHRB will have all the action as first year Crimson coach Carl Junot and the Harvard team look to pick up a big non-conference win to put them on the right path to a fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance.

Starting Sunday, September 12th: Crimson Sportstalk, 1pm
Every Sunday at 1pm (except when announced), WHRB Sports presents Crimson Sportstalk, the best on-air source for all of your Harvard sports news throughout the year. Featuring interviews with coaches, players, and others connected to the Harvard athletics program, previews of the upcoming games, wrap-ups of the big games from the past weekend, as well as scores from all of Harvard's 41 sports, Crimson Sportstalk keeps you informed about all of Crimson athletics in just 45 min. a week.

Saturday, September 19th: Harvard Football vs. Holy Cross, 7pm
The Harvard Crimson open up their season at historic Harvard Stadium in the 4th annual night game, as the Crimson take on Bay State rival Holy Cross. Tim Murphy and the Crimson will be out for revenge after last year's 27-20 loss to the Crusaders in Worcester. WHRB's coverage will begin at 6:30 pm for our pregame show.

Saturday, September 26th: Harvard Football @ Brown, 6pm
The Harvard Crimson, picked to win the Ivy League by the media, will look to earn their first Ancient Eight win as they head down to Providence to take on league rival Brown in the first ever night game at Brown Stadium. WHRB's coverage will begin at 5:30 pm with the WHRB pregame show.

Sunday, September 27th: Harvard Men's Soccer @ Boston University, 7pm
The Harvard Crimson will travel across town for a Beantown Derby with the Terriers of Boston University at Nickerson Field. This crosstown rivalry game will mark the end of a tough six-game road swing for Harvard.

The October-November schedule will be finalized in conjunction with the WHRB programming guide (available at whrb.org) in mid-September. An announcement will be forthcoming about announcers for the above broadcasts. Any changes to this schedule due to unforeseen and/or unavoidable conflicts with WHRB programming will be announced on the blog if and as the need arises. The WHRB Sports schedule will also be updated throughout the year on the sidebar on the right hand side of the blog.

The Year in Harvard Athletics: Top Five Performances

As the first semester of the 2009-10 school year has come to an end, we're going to look back at the year in Harvard Athletics beginning with our list of the top five individual performances of the first semester, listed in chronological order. Following this list will be the top five Harvard games of the semester and the top five athletes in the first half of the year. After the jump, find our picks for the top five performances so far this year!