Gomez Signs With Patroits

Harvard's answer to Jan Stenerud may not be Crimson football kicker Richie Szaro but soccer star Solomon Gomez.

Last month, after only two-and-a-half weeks of kicking a pigskin, Gomez signed a contract with the New England Patriots. "I went to their scout and asked him for a tryout. I kicked field goals for about 40 minutes, and he was very impressed," Gomez said.

Gomez, a senior from Gambia who captained last fall's Crimson soccer team, is planning to attend the Patriots' summer training camp at Amherst in July.

Gomez explained that the transition from soccer to football was simple.

"The approach to the ball is the same. The main difference is that, in kicking a football, you must keep your eyes on the ball at all times. But it's the power in the legs that counts in both types of kicking," he said.