Athlete of the Week: Phil Harris

JULIA TIERNAN/YH

Four goals and one assist in one soccer game by one player is an unlikely feat. The chances of this happening in a crucial game between league rivals sounds even more far-fetched. But that is precisely what occurred on Sat., Nov. 14 as the men's soccer team faced Princeton. Midfielder Phil Harris,

SM '00, netted four goals and added an assist in Yale's 7-4 triumph over Princeton.

Harris is no newcomer to success in soccer. While in high school in Boise, Idaho, Harris was named the Idaho Player of the Year and was first-team all-league. He was also his team's captain and most valuable player.

As a freshman at Yale, Harris, who is a Spanish major, immediately made his presence felt starting in 11 games and contributing three assists. Last year, Harris received second-team all-league honors as he scored eight goals and registered three assists for a total of 19 points on the season. His point total tied him for the team lead with teammate Jac Gould, CC '00.

Harris' offensive outburst this past Saturday gave him 18 goals, 12 assists, and 48 points for his career at Yale. "I was just playing like I usually do. It was kind of lucky to get so many good balls in one game," he said.

Harris' first goal came off of a pass from midfielder Chung Ming-Ip, CC '00, toward the end of the first half. The goal cut Princeton's lead to 2-1. "We started off slow, but we knew we could score on them," Harris said.

Minutes into the second half, Harris struck again, bringing Yale to within one goal of Princeton's lead. Three minutes later, Harris tied the game at four on a header off of a free kick by Hiro Suzuki, BR '00. Later in the game, Harris had an assist to Gould, making the score 5-4 Yale. Finally, Harris found the net for the fourth time 20 minutes into the half, and his goal put Yale ahead 6-4.

Harris' point tally was just one short of the Yale record for points in a game, and his four-goal tally was just one shy of the Yale record for most goals in a game. The match against the Tigers was Yale's final game of the season, thus finalizing Harris' individual season totals at 10 goals, six assists and 26 points.

Still, the win did not serve as a redemption for last season's loss to Princeton in the final game of the 1997 season. If Yale had defeated Princeton last year, they would have captured the Ivy League title, but this year's victory did not result in a league crown. "We're still kind of unfulfilled," Harris said, adding that this game was just "not quite the same." Yale finished second in the league this year with a 5-2 mark, while Brown captured the Ivy League title at 5-0-2.

--Michael Horn

Back to Sports...