Some Close Calls

It's been the best year in Harvard men's soccer history--undefeated record (12-0-2 overall, 6-0 Ivy League), consistent top 10 national ranking, Ivy title, number-one seeding in the NCAA New England region.

And the Crimson's success certainly wasn't unexpected. Eight of 11 starters from the 1986 Final Four squad were back, and Harvard was picked during the pre-season to be a national contender.

But things got scary along the way. A lot of things. An inconsistent line-up, a scoring slump, an injured backfield, and a sidelined captain all could have caused a Crimson down-fall. The moments were there: struggling at Columbia in the league opener in New York, deadlocked, 0-0, with lowly Boston College with only minutes to go in overtime, trailing Princeton, 3-0, midway through the second period.

Each time Providence was with the Crimson.

The Lions netted one goal for the booters, and senior Ryan Chew came off the bench to score the game-winner as Harvard triumphed, 3-2, over Columbia.

Junior back Robert Bonnie fired a 45-yd. free kick into BC's empty net while the Eagle goalie was heading for a midfield fray. The officials ruled the goal legal, and the Crimson won, 1-0.

Sophomore forward Derek Mills nailed a pair of crucial penalty kicks against the unlucky Tigers--the first tally to spark a Crimson comeback and the second to send the game into overtime. Sophomore Nick D'Onofrio finished it off with an OT goal as Harvard won, 5-4.

"We seem to have been a blessed team so far," Crimson Coach Mike Getman said. "It's been a great year, I just hope that we keep hanging on."

Alone at the Top: The Gentleman of Centenary College just couldn't keep up with the Crimson any longer. Last weekend, the nation's only other undefeated team suffered its first defeat of the year, falling in the Trans-America Athletic Conference playoffs. The loss makes Harvard the lone college soccer team to still hold an undefeated record.

Countdown: 5,4,3... In the last five weeks the Crimson have slowly inched its way closer to the top of the ISAA and Soccer America national Division I rankings. After moving from fifth into the fourth-place spot in both polls last week, Harvard has managed to nab third in the latest Soccer America ranking.

Rise in Baverstock: Goals in each of Harvard's last two Ivy League games has brought sophomore midfielder Paul Baverstock up several points on the Crimson scoring chart. Baverstock joins classmates Derek Mills and Nick D'Onofrio in a second-place tie with 13 points, while sophomore David Kramer leads the race with 10 goals and two assists for 22 points.

Hall Monitor: Harvard junior goalie Stephen Hall is hoping it warms up before the Crimson takes the field against UConn in Sunday's first-round NCAA playoff. The way things have been going for Hall, he won't be doing much moving around to keep warm.

The Crimson has outshot its competitors in almost every game this season. Pennsylvania didn't even take a shot against Hall last Saturday until the close of the opening period. And he only had to make two saves all game.

Road Trip: Transportation to Sunday's contest in Storrs, Conn., is still available through the men's soccer office (495-4549) or Harvard Sports Information (495-2206). A bus will leave from Quincy Square at 10 a.m., with the cost of transportation $10 per person.