Booters Can't Find the Scoring Touch In 1-0 Heartbreaker Loss to Wesleyan

Middletown, Conn.--Ford's Booters lost to Wesleyan in a 1-0 heartbreaker yesterday, but they did not let their coach down.

The Crimson midfield dominated play and got the ball to the forwards. The forwards combined well with each other in creating opportunities. The defense, save for the one error, held up its end and reinforced the halfbacks in the midfield.

No Striker

Yet, although Ford seems to have put together a cohesive unit which can control the ball, he has not found a striker. The Crimson still lacks the one man to sizzle the ball past the goalkeeper into the nets.

Wesleyan didn't have a sizzler, either. The Cardinals were outplayed by the Crimson at midfield, but they managed to get the one necessary explosive streak in their offense. Midway in the first half Jeff Rutsapa, Cardinal fullback, hit co-captain Carl Cavrelle with a pass. Cavrelle chipped a high lob toward the goal.

Oops

In the only gross defensive error of the game, Bob Thompson missed the ball for the Crimson while trying to settle it. The ball rolled behing him to Cardinal forward Rich Sloss, who scored by shooting the ball past Ben Bryant on the left side of the goal. Though the ball passed one to two ft. beside Bryant it was hit so hard from only 8 to 10 ft. away that Bryant did not even have time to react.

The Booters kept pressing Wesleyan to the last minute. Terry Jackson, the Wesleyan coach, said Harvard's perseverance and enthusiasm is the mark of a winning team, despite the fact that this is a rebuilding year for Harvard.

He added that the present Harvard team is aggressive, and though less talented than past Crimson crews it worked more harmoniously as a team than any he has seen before it.

Breaks and Referees

Soccer is a game of breaks and referees. Both seemed to favor Wesleyan. Though Jackson would not comment on the quality of the officiation, the breaks did not fall for the Crimson.

The refs called many fouls on jumps, which is where soccer is supposed to get physical and often ignored blocks and trips. Crimson forward Zimmering was upended in the penalty area in the second half, while sailing toward the goal. The official gave the Crimson an indirect kick instead of a penalty kick.

The real obstacles to Harvard scoring however were the four Cardinal fullbacks and Jeff VanNest the goalie who ended up with 17 saves for the game.

Close, But No Cigar

In all the Crimson took 16 shots on net, outshooting Wesleyan by six shots. Though the booters hit three corner shots in the last two minutes of the game they did not manage to convert them into scores.