Booters To Meet UCLA In NCAA Quarterfinals

The Harvard men's soccer team will ride four straight shutout victories--including a 1-0 double-overtime upset of the University of Connecticut in the second round of the 1984 NCAA championship tournament--into a quarterfinal showdown Sunday at UCLA.

One of just eight teams left in the running for the prestigious national crown the New England champion Crimson squad will face the Far West champion Bruin side at 1 p.m. (PST) on UCLA's Spaulding Field.

The announcement came yesterday after an NCAA conference call reseeded the remaining squads to determine both quarterfinal malchups and game sites.

On the strength of its 18-2-2 season mark and its one-goal triumphs over Fresno State and the University of San Francisco in the Far West Regional, the highly touted Bruins garnered the tourney's number-two seeding and the home-field advantage.

As a result, the 12-4 Harvard squad which was not among the top four seeds--will make a cross country jaunt for the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

The draw came as a mild surprise to the Crimson, which many had expected to face New York champion Hartwick College in the quarterfinals.

Instead, Hartwick (15-4) will travel to fourth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson (18-2-3), while Clemson (19-4) will visit third-seeded Virginia (19-2-1) and St. Louis (11-4-3) will journey to top-seeded Indiana (18-1-2).

The four quarterfinal winners will be re-seeded for the semifinals, which are slated for Dec. 9 at campus sites.

The national championship is set for Dec. 16 at Seattle's Kingdom.

The Crimson, making its first NCAA appearance in 10 years, will need a better showing than the one it produced Sunday at UConn to get by the talented Bruins.

"We played well below par [Sunday]," said freshman midfielder Nick Hotchkin, who crushed the University of Connecticut's title hopes when he tallied the day's only goal 30 seconds into the second overtime. "But it's nice to win without playing to your potential."

The Ivy League Rookie of the Year added, though, that "we don't stand a chance against UCLA unless we hit top form."

The high-scoring Bruins, who recorded 62 goals while giving up just 24 this year, are led by midfielder Dale Ervine. The junior has netted 10 goals and 13 assists.

UCLA has used two goalkeepers this season, but will probably go with David Vanole, who for 18 games sports an 0.95 goals-against-average.

Harvard, meanwhile, will counter with a highly diversified attack that shows five players in double-figure point totals and eight players in the goal scoring column.

Junior John Catliff leads the squad--which after a sluggish early-season start has responded with 11 victories in its last 12 games--with 10 goals and 5 assists for 25 points. The 1984 Canadian Olympian is followed by junior Captain Lane Kenworthy (11-2-24), sophomore Nikhil Singh (7-3-17), sophomore Paul Nicholas (4-7-15) and Hotchkin (4-4-12).

The Crimson defense has been equally impressive en route to posting seven shutouts. Senior goalkeeper Matt Ginsburg has an 0.85 goals-against average, and has turned in 459:53 straight shutout minutes.

In Case You Missed It

Harvard's win over the University of Connecticut Sunday in the second round of the 1984 national tourney was the Crimson's first win in NCAA play since 1972, when Harvard beat Rhode Island, 1-0, and Brown, 3-2 in overtime, to earn the District I championship.

The Crimson entered last Sunday's game in Storrs, Conn, ranked fourth in New England despite having already beaten the number-one team (UConn, 2-0) and the number-three team (Yale, 1-0). But the 1-0 double-overtime win Sunday gave Harvard its first New England crown in 14 years.

The overtime contest against UConn was Harvard's first this season. In fact, it was Harvard's first overtime win since 1981, when the club beat the University of Massachusetts, 3-2. The Crimson played three overtime games last season, tying all three.

Harvard has won 11 of its last 12 games to post a 12-4 overall mark. The 12 wins are the most in one season since 1971, when the team went 13-2-0. Included in the 12 wins are six straight. The last time Harvard won six consecutive games was in 1972 and the last time it won-seven in a row it was 1971.