Hammond Sparks Booters

A lot of people are hoping that Harvard can reverse the score of last year's Brown soccer game, but no one is hoping harder than Richard E. Hammond, varsity goalie and captain.

Last year Hammond started the game on the bench, despite the fact he'd shut out Princeton the week before. Nat Bow ditch, just back from a month on the injured list, was Coach Bruce Munro's choice to start, but the senior's rust came out in the mud and Hammond was sent in to try to stop the onslaught. Hammond instead stopped a Brown player's foot with his head and was unconscious for 30 minutes.

Hammond bears no personal grudge from his wipeout, but represents his squad when he says, "There's a certain touch of enmity" between the teams, which on top of Brown's being the best makes this "the game Harvard points toward."

Hammond considers Brown's 6-1 win last year a fluke, and he will lead 11 playres intent on proving that theory today. Leadership, however, is a hard task for the goalie from Madison, Wisc., even though his ability and personality give him the attributes of an ideal captain.

Negative Leadership

"Goalie is a negative leadership position," Hammond philosophizes. "You can play your best only when your teammates are playing poorly."

"And while good defensive play can sometimes inspire a team, nothing lets it down faster than a score on a goalie's mistake. It's hard also for a goalie to jump up after a goal with the 'C'mon guys let's get it back' spirit a captain should supply."

Hopefully, Hammond, who has been scored upon only twice in five Ivy games, won't have that problem today.

"It would be nice if we were healthier, but I think we'll play our best game." And if that holds true for the Crimson captain, you can be sure Brown will have a tough time putting the ball in the goal.