Booters Defeat MIT, Kydes Scores Twice

After only a week and a half of practice, the Harvard soccer team rolled by MIT in its season opener at the Business School Field yesterday, 5-0.

Harvard's defense was virtually impenetrable, and MIT rarely had control of the ball past midfield. The Crimson took nearly sixty shots in the game, but it wasn't until early in the second period that right inside Phil Kydes got the first Harvard goal.

Kydes Again

Kydes scored again in the third period with an off-speed spin shot in the lower left corner. Emmanuel Ekama scored soon after on a screen shot from his right linkman position.

Harvard's fourth goal was the most spectacular play of the game, Kydes took a long shot which hit the cross bar, and in the scramble in front of the MIT nets, sophomore Felix Adediji scored with his back to the goal by kicking the ball over his head while in mid-air.

Harvard's new formation gives the defense much more mobility, and the final goal came on a fullback foray by senior Chris Wilmot. After carrying the ball from midfield. Wilmot received a return pass from captain Charlie Thomas and beat the goalie with a high hard shot from off the angle.

Players Disappointed

Even though soccer is usually a game of one or two goals, the players were disappointed with their performance. The team had trouble developing its offensive plays, especially when the ball was inside the penalty area. Many scoring opportunities were lost when a lineman would attempt a difficult pass even though he already had a clear shot himself.

"The main problem was that we worked our attack through the middle, rather than advancing the ball up the wings," assistant coach Elliot Klein explained after the game.

"If we had used some wing crosses early in the game, the MIT defense would have been forced to spread out, and we would have scored three times as many goals," he said. "The passing wasn't crisp, but the potential is clearly there, and with a little more practice we will be able to rival any college club in the country," he added.

Klein had nothing but praise for the defense. "This system calls for a lot of running and close coverage. Our backs were able to anticipate and intercept plays, and they switched off covering assignments excellently. MIT didn't get off one good shot all game," he said.

Even though all the starters are healthy, coach Bruce Munro is already anticipating injuries to key players. Bob Woods and sophomore Brian Fearnett each played two periods at front fullback, and in the event that Wilmot should be sidelined, one of them will move back to center fullback.

Russ Bell also saw a lot of action, and he will be able to fill in as either a linkman or a forward.

Ivy Toughtes

Harvard will have to stay healthy in order to repeat as undefeated Ivy League champions. Cornell, which finished fourth in the league last year, pulled a major upset on Tuesday by beating Hartwick, 1-0. Hartwick beat Harvard in the NCAA quarter-finals last year, 4-3, and in preseason rating, they were second in the country.

Three other teams pose serious threats to Harvard's title defense. Columbia and Penn will be just as strong as last year, and Brown exhibited some new scoring punch in Tuesday's 5-0 win over B.U.

Harvard's next game is against traditionally strong Amherst next Wednesday. The next home game will be against Columbia on October 9.