Men Booters to Host Terriers

"Natural grass--soccer the way it ought to be."

Those words could serve as the official motto of the Harvard men's soccer team.

The NCAA announced yesterday that Sunday's second-round Harvard-Boston University playoff game will be played on the natural surface of Ohiri Field.

The Terriers (16-1-3), ranked fifth in the nation and tops in New England, will have to take their act on the road rather than hosting the Crimson on the artificial turf of Nickerson Field.

"The NCAA has an obligation to play on the best venue," Harvard men's soccer Coach Jape Shattuck said. "They look at the two possibilities of each field--first revenue potential, and then the quality of the field. Artificial turf has no virtues whatsoever."

Using revenue and field quality as criteria, Harvard should prove a more than adequate host.

The Crimson's dramatic 1-0 victory (2-1 in penalty kicks) over Yale in first-round NCAA action Sunday drew a capacity crowd of more than 2700 spectators to Ohiri.

And Shattuck suggested that "Purists" on the NCAA soccer committee would prefer Ohiri's natural surface to Nickerson's turf.

In other words, the Terriers' high regular-season rankings mean nothing. Why such emphasis on revenue, rather than on home-field advantage for the higher-seeded team?

Shattuck noted that the post-season NCAA tournament loses money--and, as such, greater game revenue lessens the NCAA's burden.

Regardless of motive, the NCAA decision can only help the Crimson, which will now have a chance to utilize its flank play to a far greater degree than it could have on turf. In addition, B.U. will be coming off a 15-day layoff--whereas Harvard faces Yale tomorrow in its final regular season game.

"The Yale game is an ideal opportunity to get in another game," Shattuck said.

The regular-season Harvard-B.U. meeting resulted in a 2-1 Terrier victory at Nickerson. "[The Terriers] are an excellent soccer team on both surfaces," Shattuck said. "They have real, legitimate talent."

B.U.'s offensive threats are freshman John Glynn (12 goals) and Francis Okaroh (11 goals). Okaroh is third on the all-time scoring list at B.U.

Terrier goalkeeping is strong, with John Moe boasting a 0.42 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage. In 17 games, Moe has recorded nine shutouts and made 51 saves.

Meanwhile, Harvard boasts are focused on the gutsy goalkeeping of sophomore Chad Reilly, who stopped four of five penalty shots Sunday to clinch a Crimson victory. Reilly, who opened the season second on Harvard's depth chart, has now started 10 of the booters' 15 games.

Harvard has its own freshman counterpart to B.U.'s Glynn in Glasgow native Derek Mills, who has 10 goals and four assists in eight contests.

If the Crimson triumphs Sunday, the possibility of a third straight NCAA home game is strong. The New England champion--either Harvard or B. U.--will face New York's best in two weeks' time.

Long Island University, favored to defeat Hartwick in the New York regional match, may not be able to provide field conditions satisfying NCAA standards.