Rookies, Veterans Gave Booters A Tremendous Lift

Harvard soccer Coach Mike Getman is making a career out of being the "rookie."

Getman earned "Rookie of the Year" honors when he played for the Detroit Express of the American Soccer League in 1982. A fullback fresh out of the perennially strong Indiana soccer program, Getman led the Express to regular-season and playoff titles.

But Getman didn't hang around long enough to become a veteran. He put in a couple of years as an assistant at Indiana before deciding to play rookie once again.

And his first season as head of the Crimson contingent turned out to be arguably the finest in Harvard soccer history. The Crimson (14-1-3 overall, 6-0-1 Ivy League) finished with an undefeated regular season, an Ivy League title, and its second-straight trip to the NCAA Final Four.

Getman wasn't the only fresh face to make an impact on the Crimson season. The team's only two additions--sophomore Dave Kramer and freshman Nick Gates--both put in excellent performances.

Kramer, who came up from the JV squad to start at forward, topped the team scoring list with 11 goals and two assists for 24 points. He also earned honorable mention honors in the Ivy League.

Gates, the lone freshman, filled in ably at sweeper after Captain Mark Pepper injured his quadricep at the start of the season.

Hail to the Vets: Four players closed out their collegiate careers in Clemson, S.C., last Saturday--Pepper, midfielders Nick Hotchkin and Ryan Chew, and back Andy Dale.

Hotchkin's stellar senior season--he earned both first-team All-Ivy and All-New England honors and is an All-America candidate--included two goals and seven assists for 11 points. In his Crimson career, Hotchkin has 15 goals and 21 assists for 51 points.

Pepper, a first-team All-Ivy back-fielder as a junior, finished with one goal and three assists for five points, while Chew had two goals for four points, and Dale had two assists.

Shooting for Kicks: Saturday's penalty-kick decision to San Diego St. marked the first time junior goalie Stephen Hall has been in net for a shootout.

The Crimson netminder faced seven shots--allowing five, saving one, and seeing one deflect off the right post. He also blocked San Diego St.'s third penalty-kick attempt, but Aztec Gerardo Jiminez was given a second attempt when Hall was called for moving too early. Jiminez netted the ball in the upper center on try number two.

The last time Harvard decided a game on penalty kicks was the Crimson's 1-0 triumph over Yale in the first round of last year's tournament. In that game, then-sophomore Chad Reilly was minding the net. Reilly played four games this season--earning one shutout, and nine saves.

Hall finished his first complete season with 82 saves, eight shutouts and 14 goals allowed in 15 starts.

A Class Act: The Harvard sophomore corps claimed more than half the team's total points this season (62 of the Crimson's 123 points), with forward Kramer leading the way.

Paul Baverstock's assist on forward Derek Mills' goal Saturday put the midfielder in second place on the team's scoring list with seven goals and four assists. Baverstock's 18-point total was six times the number he scored in his rookie season.

Mills and forward Nick D'Onofrio tied for third with seven goals and one assist (15 points) apiece.

Scalping the Aztecs: Clemson's 2-0 victory over San Diego St. in the NCAA Championship Sunday ended a 45-game scoring streak for the Aztecs. The last time San Diego St. was shut out was against U.S. International during the 1985 season.

Clemson, meanwhile, claimed its second NCAA title in four years. The Tigers beat UCLA (2-1 winners over Harvard in the semfinals) for the 1984 crown.

Leading scorer Bruce Murray--who has an amazing 20 goals and 10 assists for 50 points--started in the 1984 contest, as did back Paul Rutenis. Murray, a leading candidate for college soccer's Hermann Award, left the title game in the second half with a leg injury.