Harvard Booters Host Lions In Key Ivy League Opener

Wanted: Experienced soccer forward. Local college soccer team desperately needs player with considerable goal-scoring talent for fall season. Qualified candidates should send pertinent statistics to Bruce, Crimson Box 7a.

The Harvard soccer team continues a season-long search for something resembling an offense this morning when it kicks off its Ivy schedule at 10:30 against perennial cellar-dweller Columbia at the Business School Field.

The Crimson's amazing scoring drought was extended to a mind-boggling 190 minutes on Wednesday after a poorly-played 0-0 standoff at Williams, and if somebody doesn't start putting the ball into the net soon Harvard may find itself sliding past the Lions into the Ivy basement.

The prospects for a Crimson goal or two today, however, do not appear bright. Wednesday's loss took its toll in injuries in the one place Harvard needed to stay healthy, on the offensive line. Felix Adedeji, who had been counted on heavily to carry the offensive burden this year after all three of his linemates departed, tried to come back too soon after an knee injury against MIT and will be out indefinitely.

Linemate J.P. Gilbert hurt his foot in practice the day before the Williams contest, could not run against the Ephman, and is a doubtful starter. Wing Art Faden is hobbled by a knee injury and probably won't play either. With little or no depth behind these starters, Harvard may need a miracle or some lucky breaks to get into the scoring column after two consecutive shutouts.

Injuries

"Every time we get a line together, somebody gets hurt," head coach Bruce Munro said yesterday. "The way we've been depleted lately I don't know if we are going to be able to score or not," he added.

"We can score goals on any given day," assistant coach Ric Scott observed, "it's just Wednesdays and Saturdays that give us trouble." Munro admitted that he has never had a Crimson team which has had as much trouble scoring as this year's. "We're really hurting," he said.

Finding replacements for Adedeji, Gilbert, and Faden could be an insurmountable task for Munro but the new offensive line shapes up like this: if Gilbert does not play, junior Mario Gobbo will start at inside left, Tony Van Niel at inside right, Leroy Thompson on left wing and, if Faden sits this one out, Dan Potts on the right.

Anemic Offense

Columbia may be just the medicii anemic Harvard offense needs. Last the Crimson ran through the Lions for a season-high total of eight goals. There are indications however that Columbia may not be so generous this fall, foremost among them being a respectable 2-1 loss to Army.

Offensively, the Lions could provide a good test for goalie Steve Kidder and the Harvard defense. Last year Columbia, while giving up eight tallies, picked up four of its own, more than Kidder allowed in any other game, and the Lions number several talented foreign-born forwards on their roster.

If things go according to form, however, captain Kidder and the solid fullback foursome of Brian Fearnett, Lawson Wulsin, Steve Mead, and Ralph Booth will hold Columbia in check and hope the offense delivers.

Kidder, in fact, has yet to allow a goal this season, shutting out both MIT and Williams in his only two starts. Substitute netminder Ben Bryant was in goal for all three scores in a 3-0 loss to Wesleyan.