Booters Roll On, Blank Elis, Prepare for Battle With UConn

When a streetfighter is big and bad, he gets a reputation.

And when he's really big and bad, his reputation is such that he never has to prove it in action.

But occasionally there comes a time when a fighter is forced to back up his reputation because there are some who just refuse to believe.

Entering Saturday's regular season finale, the big, bad streetfighting Harvard men's soccer team had, on the strength of one of its finest seasons in recent memory, established for itself a reputation as one of the most powerful squads in New England.

But, like the big, bad streetfighter, the Crimson--under fire from various sources--was forced to back up its reputation against 11 junkyard Bulldogs from Connecticut.

So for the booters, Saturday morning's 1-0 victory over Yale before more than 1500 spectators at Ohiri Field served two purposes. One, it ended the Crimson's regular season on a positive note, and two, it backed up the Crimson's reputation as one of the region's strongest teams.

When the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) selected the Crimson to participate in the national Division I playoffs, many New England soccer figures were surprised and critical.

Among the most outspoken were Providence College Coach Bill Doyle and Yale Coach Steve Griggs, both of whose teams were passed over in favor of the Crimson, and both of whom decried the reasoning used by the NCAA selection committee, calling it unfair and referring to the Crimson as "a bunch of foreigners."

That's what made Saturday's victory even sweeter for the local booters, who felt slighted by the negative reaction to their NCAA selection.

"I'm glad we put that coach in his place after he snarled on our team," said striker John Catliff, one of the "foreigners" to which Doyle and Griggs had referred.

But it was also a "must win" for the Crimson. If the Elis had defeated Harvard, it would have looked not only bad for the Crimson but also the NCAA selection committee.

"It's good for the selection committee that we won." Captain Lane Kenworthy said, "so they wouldn't have to go around with bags on their heads saying, 'We goofed.'"

The Crimson, playing in Antarctic cold, swirling winds and snow squalls, dominated play to such an extent in the first half that Harvard goalkeeper Matt Ginsburg did not have to make a single save until three minutes into the second half.

Harvard spent the bulk of the first 45 in the Eli half of the pitch, looking for weaknesses to exploit in the Yale defense.

The playoff-bound Cantabs soon found so many holes that the Bulldogs looked like they were guarding their half with a sieve, and in the 20th minute, the booters were able to get the only goal they needed.

Catliff, located about 20 yards out on the left side of the pitch, passed across the middle to the waiting feet of midfielder Paul Nicholas, who streaked into the area past some defenders, faked a charging Yale 'keeper Jeff Duback out of the picture, and put the winner into an empty net.

Twenty-one seconds later, the Crimson almost set the season record for quickest two goals when freshman winger Nick Hotchkin hit the right post.

Save the first eight minutes of the second half, when they gave Ginsburg and the Crimson back four some work, the Elis were unable to generate any real offense, and the Crimson was able to shut down any threats the Dogs created.

As time went on, the Crimson began to utilize the best of both the offensive and defensive worlds, counterattacking with frequency but not being adverse to passing back to the safest player on the pitch--Ginsburg--when it was deemed necessary.

With time winding down, the Elis grew increasingly frustrated, and began throwing elbows with the frequency of Panamanian boxers in the waning minutes.

But for Harvard, that only served to support its reputation.

THE NOTEBOOK: The Crimson ended the season with an 11-4 overall mark and 5-2 Ivy record...The squad finished in second place in the Ancient Eight, one-game behind the Lions...The booters will now turn their attention towards the University of Connecticut, their first round NCAA opponent...That game is set for Sunday in Stoors, Conn.