Booters Lose to Amherst, 2-0, in Slow, Muddy Game

No casual spectator would have been able to tell what sport was being played Saturday afternoon on the Amherst soccer field unless he had read about it in the papers beforehand. The weather was so miserable that the Harvard-Amherst soccer game, which the Lord Jeffs won, 2 to 0, was reduced to a complete farce.

The game was played in the driving rain which turned to sleet in the second half and snow as the game ended. The field, which was originally well-kept short-cropped grass with no dirt spots, had absorbed a heavy downpour for nearly 24 hours and was a best spongy. Dispersed liberally about were ankle-deep icy pools or mud slicks, especially at midfield and in the penalty areas.

As a result the game bore little relation to orthodox soccer. Neither team could move the ball quickly, and the play tended to stick in the zone it was in because nobody could kick it out. The ball had to be dribbled up the field, and never bounced off the spongy turf at all but sank in, instead. Whenever the ball hit a puddle it would stop, though the player could not. He would overrun it and lose control with a resulting scramble in the puddle.

Craven Plays Well

The weather was an equalizer, however, and Amherst deserved to win. The aptly-named Frogmen took 18 shots during the game, and had it not been for Crimson goalie Dick Craven's remarkable play the score would have been higher. Amherst captain Howie Burnett, the center forward, was outstanding both on the attack and in his own defensive zone. Because of him, his two insides, Ash Eames and Manse Hall, and fullback Juan Fernandez, the Lord Jeffs kept the ball in the Harvard zone during most of the game.

The Amherst goals were scored at 17:30 of the first period and 13:00 of the third period. The first came when Craven rushed out of the goal to pick up a loose ball. He slipped in the mud, fumbled the ball, and Amherst right out-side Jim Howard passed it to Burnett, who shot it into an empty net.

The second goal was scored when left wing Tom Little got around the Crimson fullbacks and made a perfect cross to Hall in the goal mouth. Craven tried to smother the ball, but he slipped and fell two feet from the ball. Hall also slipped, but while the ball remained motionless recovered in time to hit the empty cage.

Crimson Attack Sporadic

Harvard's attack was sporadic and weak. Inside Johnny Beer was the only one who could move the ball with any success. The Crimson had two perfect scoring chances. One came in the second period when everybody in the front line had an opportunity at an empty goal, but not one of them seemed to be able to hit the ball in the mud. The second occurred on a similar play in the third period. Except for these two instances the Crimson had few chances at the Lord Jeff goal, and took only 12 shots in the whole game.