Booters Set to Face UMass

This weekend's Eastern Tournament finals at Storrs, Conn., should place the women's soccer team where it belongs--among the nation's top five teams.

The Crimson will not only face the toughest competition it has seen all season but will do so under intense tournament pressure. At stake, bragging rights over the Eastern region, undoubtably the toughest conference in the country, and an insured invitation to the upcoming National Tournament at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Last weekend at the Ivy League Championship, the booters proved they can meet the challenge of tournament conditions, defeating a psyched-up and scrappy Brown squad, 4-3, in the overtime period in the finals to capture the Ivy crown.

But teams of Brown's caliber fell in the opening round of the Easterns Wednesday afternoon, with the Bruins losing, 2-0, at the hands of top-seed Connecticut. The final four--UConn, Harvard, UMass and Cortland State--all rank in the nation's top seven teams, according to yesterday's coaches' poll.

This morning the Crimson (11-1) face UMass (11-2-2 and ranked fifth nationally), a squad which has disposed of Brown, 6-1, and fourth-seed Cortland, 2-1, earlier this season.

"UMass is very dangerous," says Crimson head coach Bob Scalise. "Their attackers have great mobility and they switch very well in the offensive zone," he adds.

The potent Minutemen attack is so hard to contain because coach Ken Banda fields a lineup with nine players who can penetrate and score, an "adjustable" formation led by All-American forward Madeline Mangini and talented midfielder Stacey Flionis.

To defend against the UMass mobilization, Scalise hopes to follow the old adage, "the best defense is offense." "We're not looking to contain their attackers," added the Harvard mentor. "We're looking to pressure them, so they're worried about us."

Not surprisingly, Scalise sees the control of the midfield as the key to the contest. In its only loss this season, the 4-2 debacle against UConn, the Crimson halfbacks failed to mark their Huskie counterparts close enough to stymie the UConn offense before it gained momentum.

If Ellen Jakovic's groin pull benches the senior fullback, junior midfielder Laura Mayer will fill Jakovic's vacancy, weakening Harvard's midfield. If Jakovic, whom Scalise classified as "questionable" yesterday before practice, must sit out, sophomore Merry Ann Moore will start at wing half. Moore, who started against Wednesday's shutout of Boston College, 4-0, uses her speed and quickness to compensate for her inexperience.

In contrast to Scalise's analysis, Banda stresses the importance of defense. "Both teams have explosive offenses," says Banda. "The key is who can effectively stop the other." In the defense department, UMass, led by stellar sweeper Jackie Gaw, has allowed its opponent two goals only three times in 15 outings.

The recent performance of the Crimson defensive corps would surely make Caspar W. Weinberger '38 proud. Sweeper Deb Field's clearing kick rivals the Titan II in distance and accuracy, while stopper Jeanne Piersiak makes the AWAC look obsolete when homing in on an opposing centering pass. On the wings All-Ivy honorable-mention selection Kelly Gately and Mayer, who played fullback as a freshman, looked impressive while stifling B.C. Speedsters Cathy Murphy and Ann Porell on Wednesday.

Whatever the key to the contest, the game should be close and the teams evenly matched. In such a competition, the victor is often the squad that creates its own opportunities and capitalizes on the breaks.

The closer the encounter, the more important the obvious becomes. In a profoundly simple statement, Banda described the essence of soccer, "A goal is a goal. It counts no matter if it's a garbage goal, an easy goal, or a breath-taking one." Harvard survived the Ivy Tournament and has benefitted from the experience. The booters know what the Eastern challenge requires and know that they can rise to the occasion.

Now, to the predicts...

HARVARD 2-UMASS 1: Led by the goal-hungry pair, Cat Ferrante and Kelly Landry, the play-making Alicia Carrillo, and the midfield personified by Jenny Greeley, the Crimson parlay its keen scoring instincts into another big victory. UCONN 2-CORTLAND STATE 1: The Huskies are virtually invincible at home