Amherst Triumphs 3-0 Over Varsity Booters

Somehow it doesn't seem right that the Little Three should be better at soccer than the Ivy Leaguers. But on Saturday the Crimson--last year's Ivy champ--dropped its second bout with a Little Three member, a humiliating 3-0 loss to Amherst.

Williams beat the Crimson 3-1 on Wednesday, and Wesleyan comes to town the day after tomorrow.

Amherst won this weekend because it outshot and outhustled its opponents. The Lord Jeffs got their heads on most of the serial drives, and muscled their way toward the loose balls. Often out-numbered in scraps near their goal, the Jeffs kept hammering away until the ball left the danger area.

The Crimson played skillful ball--accurate passing, nimble dribbling, well-placed feeding--but it lacked the tenacity and drive of the Amherst offense.

Again and again Harvard would move the ball into scoring position and fail to get off a good boot at the goal. The team as a whole had some eight decent shots at the posts; center-forward Chris Ohiri, who has tallied eight of the Crimson's nine goals so far, had one attempt, a slow grounder that goalie Rick Benner scooped up easily.

Immediately after scoring its first goal early in the second quarter, Amherst pulled back its halfs into a tight defensive unit. Ohiri was never clear, as two or three defensemen guarded him in his "magic circle." When Mike Kramer slowed down on the left wing, Lord Jeff fullback Bradford Collins pounced on the ball and stole it. Harvard had dozens of corner kicks, but Amherst heads were there to deflect the ball away.