Booters Smother Cornell; Robertson Sparks 3-0 Win

Harvard used an old system and new stars to score a thrilling 3-0 win over the Cornell soccer team at Soldiers Field Saturday morning.

Sophomore Scott Robertson was the big star, looking every bit as good in a 5-3-2 as he had in a 4-3-3. Robertson got one goal and insides Jaime Vargas and Lutz Hoeppner, who came into their own as team players, got the other two.

It was Harvard's teamwork that made the Big Red look like a collection of minor leaguers. With the presence of all-star Andy Kydes directing the play from the middle, Harvard's insides, wings, and halfbacks gave a demonstration of back passing, give and goes, and triangular patterns that every high school coach would love to have his boys witness.

The first half was a frustrating experience for the Crimson, who dominated the action but couldn't score. Dudley Blodget got off several shots from right wing and Jim Saltonstall showed off the trap-pivot-shoot maneuver he had patented at the center forward position, but with no success.

The Crimson came closest to the scoreboard when Robertson centered the ball past Cornell's diving goalie Don Pulver, but Salty's tap from point-blank range squirted wide.

Robertson opened the third quarter with a bullet from the left that just missed the far side of the goal; then after six and a half minutes had gone by the Brazil-trained sophomore ended the frustration.

Left inside Vargas chipped a pass over the Cornell halfback to the clear Robertson. Two dribbles drew out Pulver and at the last second Robertson rolled the ball past him into the right hand corner of the goal.

Three minutes later Vargas took the ball from Crimson halfback Joe Gould ten yards inside the midfield stripe and dribbled goalward. He left the last defender, Erik Lunkenheimer, sprawled on the turf as he went into the penalty area, setting up a rocket of a shot back into the upper left corner of the nets.

Harvard saved the coup de grace for the game's final minute. Kydes broke up a mild Cornell attack and cleared the ball to his left wing. The long pass was heading out of bounds when Robertson pulled the day's most sensational play.

He deflected the ball in the air, then fell backwards, scissored his legs, and the ball miraculously arched downfield to Hoeppner, who was breaking for the goal all alone. Hoeppner capped the play by drilling a low shot into the left side of the goal for Harvard's final 3-0 margin.

Richie Hammond turned in his second shutout with an authoritative performance. He was called on for only 9 saves, however, compared to Pulver's 21.

Cornell, it must be noted, is winless this fall, and provided easy pickings for a skilled team like Harvard. Balancing the few talented Big Red operatives, such as Pulver and center halfback Bill Hutchinson, were a slew of turkeys like Kevin Suffern. The blond halfback kicked the ball nowhere-in-particular every time he got it and relied on bumping and tripping to stop his man, Robertson.