Harvard Opens Soccer Season vs. MIT Today

Boasting a new formation (a 3-3-4), a new philosophy (a defense-oriented, American-style game), and many new faces (seven new starters), the Harvard soccer team opens its 1973 season this afternoon at 3 p.m. when it hosts cross-town rival and traditional patsy MIT.

The game, somewhat facitiously referred to as the "Cambridge City Championship," has annually been about as one-sided as the Riggs-King match. The Crimson has never lost to the Engineers in soccer, and as far as this particular Harvard-MIT series is concerned, Cambridge ends on the Harvard side of Western Ave.

This year, however, a Crimson rout, while still a possibility, is far less of a sure thing. Harvard's soccer hegeonomy may be coming to an abrupt end after four years of assorted Crimson Ivy titles, undefeated regular seasons, and annual trips to the NCAA playoffs. Three-quarters of last year's league-leading offense is gone, the midfield has had to be rebuilt entirely, and only the defense remains relatively intact.

Serious Problems

Offensively, Harvard has serious problems, at least at then moment. Trying to fill the sports vacated by record-shattering forward, All-Ivy, All-American Chris Papagianis; the league leader in assists. All-Ivy Bent Hinze; and starter Dragan Vujovic may be a well-nigh impossible assignment for head coach Bruce Munro, now in his 26th year at Harvard.

The only offensive starter left from last year's 10-2-1 team is senior Felix Adedeji. A first-team All-Ivy performer and Ivy-scoring-record holder his sophomore year, Adedeji managed second-team All-Ivy honors a year ago despite having to play nearly the entire season with painful muscle spasms in his back.

Perhaps the most dangerous and respected forward in the Ivy League, he will be the Crimson's chief scoring threat. But because Harvard is no longer blessed with a balanced offensive attack, opposing teams may be able to afford double-teaming Adedeji this season.

Given Harvard's expected lack of a scoring punch, Munro has decided to go with a three-man front line, instead of the standard four. Manning the other two sports will be junior Art Fadden and Bussey Ate, a senior who sat out the last two seasons with an injured leg. These two must establish themselves as scoring threats if Harvard is to have a realistic chance against some of the top Ivy teams like Penn, Cornell and Brown.

The Midfield position, a problem area last year, has suffered the most from graduation. Gone are dependable, three-year starter Emmanual Ekama, All-Ivy honorable mention Bahman Mossavar-Rahmani, and senior Demetrio Mena, who broke his ankle in August and has taken the term off.

Munro has had to do a great deal of shuffling of his personnel since no starters returned. To fill the gap Ric LaCivita has been moved from his starting left fullback slot, Tony Van Niel from forward, and Bob Auritt promoted from the JVs. Munro must find more halfbacks in case one of these three is injured; this weakness could cause the coach a few sleepless nights before the season ends.

The defense, which played superlatively in several late-season contests last fall, has returned relatively intact. Considering the problems the Crimson may have up front it is reassuring to note the return of starting fullbacks Brian Fearnett, Steve Mead and Lawson Wulsin.

Joining these veterans in the new four-man full backs alignment will be Ralph Booth, a sophomore who was impressive in the squad's recent scrimmage with Amherst.

Steve Kidder, whose steady work in the nets and quietly effective leadership last year brought him the team captainship, will tend the Crimson goal, and, as Yale goalie Ken Pasternak illustrated in the last three years, a team with a standout goalie can, give a break or two, beat a superior team.

Kidder Will Be Important

Kidder, while not be a spectacular net-minder, had six shutouts to his credit last Fall, and his goals against average was a fine 1.92. With his offense controlling the ball less than last year, Kidder will be called upon more and more to make the big save. Whether he can or not might well determine Harvard's success this Fall.

Today's contest with MIT may not be the best way to judge how Harvard will perform the rest of the season, considering how little opposition the Engineers have provided the Crimson in the past. But it may well indicate how far the team will have to go in a rebuilding year if it hopes to finish in the first division of the Ivy League.