Booters Outpace Minutemen in a 3-2 Victory, Will Travel to Philly for Friday Penn Match

With a strong gale at their backs, the Harvard men's soccer team buffeted back the University of Massachusetts to win 3-2 scoring three wind-aided goals in the second half.

The Minutemen spent most of the final half adjusting to the wind, playing with their second- string goalkeeper in the nets.

"If their goalkeeper hadn't been injured and we hadn't had the wind on our side the second half of play, if might have been as close as it was in the first hall." Coach Jape Shattuck said after the game.

With the Crimson victory over UMass the booters' record jumps to 6-7, with a 3-2 Ivy standing.

First-half play action was limited to the midfield, with the Crimson's Mike Mogollon working several give-and-go-play with Captain Lance Ayrault Harvard forwards spent much of the half trying to connect with their back line, as UMass cut off passing angles from the Crimson end. Both teams suffered obvious tripping and shoving fouls, which the referee neglected to call.

Statistics showed how tight things were At the end of the first half UMass and 13 shots on goal to Harvard's 12 Both teams had a player who'd ended up sprawled on the field waiting for a trainer's assistance Crimson forward Jay Hooper kept playing after he collided with Minuteman goalkeeper Jeft Smith, but Smith left the game with a possibly broken toe UMass replaced him with substitute goalie Jim Searls.

With only 11 minutes of play left in the first half. UMass coach Gelf Gettler, desperate to score and gain momentum for the second half of play pushed three Minutemen up closer to the Harvard goalmouth. But sweeper Frank Ricapito and stopper lan Hardington half off UMass strikers Michael Gibbons and Kayvan Khatami, sending the ball back to the Crimson attact.

The Harvard offense tallied in the first eight minutes of play, when winger Steve Higginson stopped Minuteman Herbert Sidman, dribbled uncontested down the sideline to set up Ayrault, whose right-footed shoe twanged the twines on his first attempt The scoreboard read 1-0 Crimson.

After that goal, the Minutemen spent several minutes thinking about the score While they were pondering, the Crimson scored again at 49 19, this time taking a three-on-two advantage to give Ayrault his second goal of the day. The third Crimson goal came about 10 minutes later when halfback Leo Lanzillo blasted a hard drive from point blank range through Searl's hands.

The Minutemen finally seemed to adjust to their wind disadvantage Gaining some speed of their own, they forced Crimson net minder Phil Coogan to come out of the goal to cut off shooting angles. On a follow up header UMass captain Kevin Flynn snuck the ball into the twines Gibbons netted the second UMass goal on Flynn's assist.

But UMass's burst of energy was too late Despite frantic shots on goal in the last 40 seconds from the Minutemen, the Crimson held on to win.