Soccer Squad Has Problems As Opener with Tufts Nears

Exactly 35 soccer players and a dozen soccer balls are bounding around the Business School Field these days as Bruce Munro gets his second Harvard booter team ready for its opener with Tufts Saturday.

Munro's task is nothing short of tremendous. Last fall, in his first season here, he fashioned a team which lost only to Springfield (his alma mater and defending national champion) and Navy, Harvard's only Ivy League loss. The 1948 team finished second to Cornell in the Ivy League and runner-up to Connecticut in the New England circuit.

However, Munro now must replace eight of last year's starting eleven. This includes the entire left side of the forward line and, most important of all, Captain Phil Potter (inside left) and Hans Estin (center forward). Of Harvard's 31 goals last season, these two men accounted for ten apiece.

Filling the Gap

To fill these holes, Munro has been experimenting with his lines all week in morning and afternoon practice sessions. Though the team reached the full-game practice stage yesterday, Munro is not at all sure yet who will start against Tufts four days from now.

For a while the coach was hoping to use Siamese Piya Chakkaphak, last year's star freshman, at center forward, but Chakkaphak has been declared ineligible. By the time Chakkaphak can return to safe academic water the season will be almost over. Another man Munro will miss is Mal Greenidge, last year's freshman captain, who has dropped out of College.

For now Munro is improvising with Jon Spivak, an outside right last year, as center forward and freshman Ben Goldstein and John Harvey, who are fighting for wing positions. Munro will have to come up with a good line, for word from Medford is that Tufts' offense may be considerably above last year, when the varsity won, 5 to 0.

Fortunately both fullbacks, Mike Scully and Herrick Drake, are back this year, as is Charlie Weiss, Harvard's All New England inside right last fall and a potential All-American this year. Richmond Miller is the only starting halfback not lost through graduation, but sophomore Pants Pantaleoni looms strong among the halfbacks candidates.

Munro will thus be able to use the same defense that performed so capably last season. It is headed by Captain Whoop Batchelder, an outstanding goalie last year who never got the recognition he deserved, according to Munro, because he wasn't so flashy as some of the other goal-tenders around. "He just stopped the ball," says Bruce, "which is exactly what he's supposed to do."

Munroe's job is well-defined: he must develop an offensive punch to take the place of the Potter-Estin combo.