For the past three years Charlie Thomas and the other seniors who form the nucleus of the Harvard soccer team have been living with the fear that they will never live up to their potential.
Today marks the third time that they have met Hartwick in the NCAA quarter-finals, and if they lose, dreams of a national championship will be lost forever. But if they win, past defeats will be forgotten and the challenge will be renewed down in Miami, Fla.
The game begins at 1 p.m. at the Business School Field. The winner will play in the semi-finals in the Orange Bowl on December 26 against the winner of the Howard-Penn State match.
In 1969, it took Harvard two overtime periods to beat Hartwick, 1-0. In the rematch last year, the Warriors pulled a 4-3 victory out of the rain and mud up in Oneonta, New York. Both teams lost to St. Louis in the semi-finals by 1-0 scores.
Hartwick Ranked Fourth
At the end of the regular season this year, Hartwick was ranked fourth in the nation with a 9-1-1 record. Harvard was seventh with a 10-1 mark. In the regional play-off games, Hartwick beat Army, 3-0, and Cornell, 4-1, to take the Division II title, while Harvard defeated Southern Connecticut, 5-0, and Brown, 3-0, in Division I.
In what promises to be a low scoring game, the big match-up will be between Hartwick's strong defense and Harvard's explosive forward line. But since both teams are accustomed to moving the ball with short. passing, the game will be won or lost at midfield. And injuries to three of the four regular linkmen put Harvard at a distinct disadvantage.
Russ Bell has been outstanding at midfield during the latter part of the season, but he was injured in the Brown game on Monday, and hasn't practiced all week. Norie Harrower and Emanuel Ekama have been nursing injuries all season, and both will be playing at less than full strength. Bahman Mossavar Rahmani is the only linkman in good condition.
"If things get desperate in the middle, we'll bring back Phil Kydes and put Ron Padmore in on the line," coach Bruce Munro said yesterday. "It all depends on how Russ feels at game time."
The rest of the team is in full stride. Chris Papagianis has scored four goals in the two play-off games, and captain Charlie Thomas has massed nine points in the last five games. The defense goes into the game with two consecutive shutouts, and Felix Adedeji has the individual finesse to break up a defensive battle.
Hartwick plays out of a 4-2-4 formation which is very similar to Harvard's. Co-captain Felipe Dulanto anchors the fullback line, which has given up only six goals all season. Goalie Norm Wingert, the other co-captain, has seven shut-outs so far this year.
With All-American forward Alec Papadakis gone, the Warrior attack isn't as strong as last year, but they've scored ten goals in the last three games. Sophomore Ed Austin, at left inside, leads the team in scoring with 8 goals and 5 assists, but the main scoring threat should come from the right side where freshman Tom Moore (5 goals, 4 assists) and sophomore Bob Isaacson (6 goals, 4 assists) are interchangable at inside and wing.
Hartwich has a definite advantage at midfield with Colm Keenan and Brendan Keenan who have 13 points between them. Left wing Phil Russo has five goals, but he should be hanging back to give the Warriors added strength in the middle.
Cornell is the only team which both Hartwick and Harvard have played this season. The Big Red upset Hartwick, 1-0, back in September, but lost to the Warriors in the Division II finals, 4-1. Harvard got by Cornell, 3-2, on two goals late in the forth quarter.
"It will be a close, low-scoring game." Cornell coach Dan Wood said. "And Harvard will win if their forwards can come up with a few exceptional plays. Hartwick has the edge on defense, and with Harvard's injuries. Hartwick will definitely be stronger at midfield."
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