Booters Gain First Ivy Win

PROVIDENCE--With Mauro Keller-Sarmiento in his new role at center midfield, the Harvard men's soccer team finally got bacl on the track last night, scoring a 1-0 victory over Ivy rival Brown in Cliff Stevenson Stadium.

John Lyons scored the booter's lone goal of the evening as the Crimson notched its first Ivy victory in five attempts and raised its overall record to 3-5-2.

The win was particularly sweet for Coach George Ford who, after trying different combinations in his last seven games, finally found a way to remedy his team's troubles.

"Using Mauro at center midfield (instead of at striker) gave us confidence. We spent the week on trying to maintain possession, and Mauro in the middle gave us the control we needed." Ford said.

This confidence and control was apparent from the start. Harvard came out and controlled the pace of the game during the opening 25 minutes before losing some of its momentum in the middle of the period.

The Crimson, however, similar to past contests, failed to come up with a goal, and the score was knotted at 0 when the first stanza ended.

Prohibition

In the second 45 minutes, the Booters again looked comfortable and in control. Mike Mogollen and Alberto Zillar played superbly on the wings, opening up the Harvard offense. When Zillar was injured in front of the Harvard bench, Ford substituted Joaquo Correia, who played up to Zillar's high standard and more.

Still Counting

Taking the ball on a long pass from Denis Perize, the Currier House junior moved down the left side of the field, leading two defenders and feeding Lyons, who got what proved to be the game winner, at 69:22.

"Joaquo did all the work," said Lyons after the game. "I just came in from the right and put it away. Whoever was there, would have had the goal. I just happened to be the one."

But Harvard had finally made the break it needed, and the Crimson held on to its advantage fiercely, allowing only two shots in the last 25 minutes. Peter Walsh and the defense again played a strong game and the Booters lowered their goals-against-average to 1.33 a game, and it was the midfield that played above par for the first time in a month that made the difference.

"The midfield was much improved," said Captain John Dugaan. "Mauro did what we wanted him to do," and we had; some quick one-twos that worked well."

Looking Ahead

The victory over the Bruins sparked Crimson hopes for a season turnaround; and beyond a .500-plus season, the Booters still have a chance at the Greater Boston League Championship.

Two key games are scheduled for this week against Tufts and Boston College, who are both league members. The Crimson are 2-0-1 against area competition, and a victory over B.C. should seal the crown for Harvard.

"We should win our next five games," said Duggan confidently. "B.C. should be good, but Yale will be tough too. They're not that good, but any Harvard-Yale is tough."