Booters Rally at Rhode Island

The Harvard men's soccer team rolled to its third consecutive victory by tipping the University of Rhode Island, 3-2, at Kingston, R.I.

After winning only one of their first seven games, the booters have outscored their last three opponents 9-2 while hoisting the Crimson's record to a respectable 4-5-1.

Harvard, which benefited from multiple-goal performances by Nikhil Singh and Ramy Rajballie Saturday, used the same formula for success yesterday as Captain Lane Kenworthy banged home two goals--including the game winner at 70:02 of the second half.

The victory kept alive the Crimson's ultra-slim hopes of snagging one of the two NCAA post-season tournament bids awarded to teams from the New England region.

The top two positions in the New England poll released yesterday were occupied by two teams which had defeated the booters earlier this year: UConn (ranked first) and Boston University (second).

Harvard must win its remaining four games (including one against third-ranked UMass) and hope that either B.U. or UConn tumbles in a major way.

The prospects for an Ivy League crown look almost as bleak. Cornell (5-0 Ivy) and Columbia (3-0-1)--both '85 victors over the Crimson--are far ahead of the rest of the Ancient Eight pack.

Harvard rests in third place with a 2-2 record, but any Cornell win or Crimson loss will eliminate the booters from the league chase.

But the Crimson is working hard of late to insure that the 1985 season doesn't go down as a total loss. Peppering Rams goalie Lance Klima with 15 shots, the squad left Kingston with its first come-from-behind victory of the season.

Rhode Island's Adam Homler opened up the scoring with an unassisted goal at the 14:33 mark.

However, a Ram foul set up an Ian Hardington penalty kick in the closing minutes of the half--and Hardington beat Klima for his second goal of the season.

Kenworthy's first goal of the day (and third of the year) came 10 minutes into the second half and put the Crimson up 2-1.

URI rallied back, however, with a penalty kick of its own to knot the score at two with 23 minutes remaining.

Kenworthy got the last laugh, though, when he rammed the ball past Klima to win the game for the Crimson.

Matt Ginsburg started in goal for the second straight game since freshman keeper Stephen Hall collided with a Dartmouth attacker. Ginsburg had one save on the afternoon.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard next plays tomorrow at Brown. The booters travel to UMass to take on the Minutemen next Tuesday, and then close out their season with Ivy League games against Penn (home on November 9) and Yale (away on November 23)... The complete New England poll: 1. Connecticut (15-1-3 record, 50 points); 2. Boston University (10-2-1, 44); 3. UMass (13-5-0, 41); Maine (9-5-0, 35); Providence College (7-6-1, 30); Holy Cross (8-5-2, 25). Crimson, 3-2 at Kingston, R.I. Harvard  1-2--3 Rhode Island  1-1--2

Scoring: RI, Adam Homler (unassisted) 14:33; H, Ian Hardington (penalty kick) 36:43; H, Lane Kenworthy (unassisted) 55:12; RI, John Lopes (penalty kick) 61:29; Kenworthy (Nikhil Singh) 70:02

Saves: H, Matt Ginsburg, 1; RI, Lance Klima, 8

Scoring: RI, Adam Homler (unassisted) 14:33; H, Ian Hardington (penalty kick) 36:43; H, Lane Kenworthy (unassisted) 55:12; RI, John Lopes (penalty kick) 61:29; Kenworthy (Nikhil Singh) 70:02

Saves: H, Matt Ginsburg, 1; RI, Lance Klima, 8