Soccer Vistas Brighten with Good Turnout

For the past five years Harvard has been known as something less than a power in soccer. Not enough material and too little practice generally meant that Crimson teams were inexperienced equals carried along by a few stars; but two postwar years may have changed the scene.

This year James MacDonald, coach of the Soccer team, expects a strong comeback. All but three of last year's starting Varsity team are returning, and in addition Mac will have the whole Freshman team of last year, the squad that amassed the best Harvard soccer record in 17 years.

40 Report for Practice

But the factor that makes Mac beam brightest is the success of the pre-season practice. Twenty-five athletes reported on the Business School Field for the first workout last Monday and by Saturday the number had risen to 40. "Why, before this year." Mac said, "no one ever appeared until the first day of registration."

Starting today Mac plans to switch his practice schedule back to the traditional time of 3 o'clock every afternoon instead of the two daily workouts which were held last week. This afternoon at 5:15 o'clock in the Dillon Field House Mac plans to hold a meeting for Freshman candidates and managerial prospects.

Apparently scoring the goals will not be the problem of the Crimson soccer team this year; for on this fall's forward line will be playing the high scorers of three other years. Roy Heisler, who averaged three or four a game in 1944, is back; Many Aguirre, star of the team in 1945, has returned; and Phil Potter, last year's center forward, is now a Junior.

Besides them MacDonald can count on last year's captain Carlos Blanco, the whole rest of last year's forward line, and the whole of the Freshmen line of last year, which scored an average of five goals a game.

Difficulties appear in the defense. Captain Hunt Mavor, the man who organized the pre-season practice sessions, and Dave Ogden, last year's center half, are the key men. But both starting fullbacks graduated this June, and Mike Scully, the best Freshman full, plans to row crew this fall.

Experiments on Defense

To fill the gaps MacDonald has the Freshman defense of last year, which was not the strongest part of that team, and a flock of steady but unspectacular reserves from last year's Varsity. Mac spent most of last week trying out the candidates at various positions and experimenting with different combinations, but had no comment on how his plans were working out.

Last year's Yardling goaltender Larry Bachalter is the logical candidate to fill the position vacated by Dick Harshman although he did not arrive for practice last week.

With the first game of the season still a matter of a week and a half away, the main trouble for Coach MacDonald will be in sifting and weeding his oversize squad