Looking at the statistics for the Massachusetts men’s soccer team’s game against Harvard on Friday, it is hard to believe the Crimson needed overtime to earn the 3-2 victory.
On its 33rd shot of the game, Harvard (5-3) notched the game-winning score, as senior forward Hiroki Kobayashi found the back of the net with a header courtesy of a cross from junior Andrew Chang just one minute, 37 seconds into the first overtime.
Minutemen interim coach Devin O’Neill praised his team for a hard-fought battle, especially after being down a man for the majority of the second half and overtime after Luke Pavone received a red card in the 53rd minute.
“It was really gutty. Harvard’s an excellent team. We knew they were an excellent team,” O’Neill said. “But in some tough circumstances I think our kids competed absolutely as hard as they could.
“We got some luck, but needed a little more.”
Despite earning the loss, UMass sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Buckingham turned in the best performance of his career, making a career-high 17 saves for the game. Buckingham, however, said that there was room for improvement despite keeping his team in the game on numerous occasions.
“Yeah, I had the 17 saves, but I feel like I should’ve gotten to the last goal and the first goal,” Buckingham said. “I mean, we played absolutely great and should’ve won that game, but this is a real tough one.”
The Minutemen got off to a positive start when Pavone was tripped in the goal box, resulting in a penalty kick that senior Josh Schwartz buried for his third goal of the season. Just three minutes, 50 seconds later, UMass doubled its lead when junior Mark Morris nailed a shot from 30 yards out that scraped under the bar and into the net.
The second half proved to be a different story for the Minutemen.
Seven minutes into the second half, Pavone was issued a red card for a tackle just outside the box. On the ensuing free kick, Crimson sophomore Daniel Smith tied the game at two apiece when he headed in a cross from freshman Sam Brown.
Being down a man against a fast-paced Harvard team seemed to hurt UMass in the long run, as the Minutemen – particularly the outside backs – appeared exhausted as the game dragged on.
“That might’ve been the toughest matchup for us. Their pace down the flanks was just a problem that I’m not sure we ever solved completely,” O’Neill said. “We were trying, but they were excellent.”
Buckingham, who was under constant pressure all afternoon, received high praise from senior defender Matt Keys.
“(Buckingham) played outstanding. Without him, I don’t think it would have been 3-2,” Keys said. “He played by far the best today and that was probably his best performance of the year.
“He kept us in it when we went down a man, he kept us motivated and defensively kept our shape well.”
Although the Crimson were victorious by only one goal, Harvard outshot UMass 33-2, and earned 11 corners compared to none for the Minutemen. Harvard goalie Evan Mendez was credited with the win and did not have to make a save in 92 minutes of play.
Jason Kates can be reached at [email protected].
