Booters' Offense Sputters In 4-0 Loss To Amherst

Before Saturday's game at Amherst, Harvard soccer coach Bruce Munro was worried abouth his halfbacks. Sophomore Richie Hardy hadn't come to practice all week because of injuries, Hilary Worthen was hurt, and captain Joe Gould would probably have to switch from his usual right half slot to the unfamiliar left-hand side of the field.

As it turned out Saturday, though, Munro should have spent more time worrying about his forwards than his halfbacks. For, in losing 4-0 to the Lord Jeffs, the Crimson booters showed a distinct inability to muster any kind of offense, while the halfbacks--Hardy, Gould, and Nigerian Abi Azikiwe--played strongly.

It is no small accomplishment that Amherst was held to four goals, which, if it hadn't been for two momentary lapses by sophomore goalie Dick Locksley, would have been only two tallies. And much of the credit for the fine Crimson showing belongs to Azikiwe, who was all over the field all afternoon, and senior fullback Dave Wright, who matched Amherst's all-America inside, Jaffer Kassamali, step for step throughout the game.

Daring Duo

Kassamali, and his accomplice, Clean-this Nicolaides, proved too much for Harvard. But it is to the Crimson's credit that it took Amherst's high-powered combination twenty minutes, a third of the game, to break the scoring ice.

The first quarter belonged to Amherst, but two nice saves by starting goalie John Axten and the vigorous Crimson defense kept the Lord Jeffs off the scoreboard.

But five minutes into the second period, Nicolaides took a pass from Kassamali in front of the goal, faked around Axten, and pounded the ball home for the first score.

Two Misses.

Harvard actually had some offensive opportunities later in the quarter, but couldn't take advantage of three corner kicks. The forwards had two more corner kicks. The forwards had two more corner kicks fall early in the third period, in their only other real scoring opportunities.

Amherst's second tally came when Nicolaides, without letting the ball hit the ground, drilled it into the left-hand side of the goal off a beautiful head from Kassamali late in the third period.

Locksley, who took over for the injured Axten in the second half, moved out too far from the goal on two occasions in the final period, and both times Amherst converted the mistake into a score.

Kassamali put in both of them, the first time off a short pass from Nicolaides, and the second time heading in a pass from Hilton Foster. It was a remarkable performance for the Tanzanian speedster, one of the finest forwards Harvard will see all year.