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Crimson Booters Topped By Eli 6-3, Njoku Scores Twice in Late Rally

By Jonathan B. Marks, (Special to the CRIMSON)

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 19--There was neither rain nor mud here today, but the varsity soccer team repeated last week's sorry performance against Brown anyway and lost to Yale 6-3.

Yale, like Brown, won the game early simply by hustling Harvard's defense men. Before the first period was over, they had put three scores past goalie Nat Bowditch.

Like last week, Harvard had flashes of brilliance. When the line and halfbacks kept their passes short and concentrated on ball control, Yale couldn't touch down. But, save for about ten minutes in the middle of the third quarter, when they scored twice and missed several other good shots, the Crimson never mounted an intensive attack.

Yale, to the contrary, peppered the Harvard goal all afternoon. Center forward John Griswold got the Blue's first score by completely faking out fullback Karl Lunkenheimer at the circle and slamming the ball into the corner of the goal.

Three minutes later the Eli line got another chance when a halfback fed the ball past the Crimson fullbacks into the left corner. Wing Joe Upton got to the ball first, out-dribbled fullback Alex Patton by turning the ball into the center, then lining it into the near corner of the goal.

Keeping up the pressure, Griswold broke past Patton two minutes later and shot the ball off Bowdich's chest. Right winger John Kerry beat Lunkenheimer to the ball and squarted it into the open goal.

Harvard's fullbacks woke up in the second period and Bowditch made several great saves to hold Yale scoreless. But a lackadaisical offense did little more than gaze from afar at the Yale net. Before Harvard decided to start trying to beat Yale to the ball, Kerry had scored once more.

About five minutes into the third quarter, inside Dave Taft got the ball at mid-field and put it out to Dudley Blodget. He crossed perfectly just in front of the goal to Charlie Njoku who hit the post with his shot. Jim Saltonstall put in the rebound, making the score 4-1.

Ten minutes of concentrated attacking later, the Crimson finally put another one in. Saltonstall lofted the ball over the fullbacks from way out, and Blodget's shot was barely blocked by charging Yale goalie John Skrobat. Njoku caught up with the rebound and eased it into the open net.

Harvard kept pressing well into the fourth period, with Dave Taft and Luts Hoeppner moving all over the field to steal Yale balls. But the Crimson could only score once more, when Njoku put in another rebound. Meanwhile Yale had scored twice, and easily maintained their 6-3 lead in the final minute.

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