"The best soccer is like the way the Bruins play hockey. If you tackle a guy extra hard he's usually not going to come down the field so fast the next time," said fullback Richard Scott, captain of next year's soccer team.
He emphasized the importance of "psyching out" the other team and cited this year's Cornell game as one extreme example. "Their halfback Huerta literally punched Chris Wilmot in the face throughout the game. Harvard's sloppy play that game was due in part to anger roused by Huerta's efforts."
Team Harmony
In addition to being aggressive Scott feels that team harmony is another essential for success next year. "In soccer, unlike a sport like football, teamwork depends on how you like the people you're playing with," Scott explained.
He gives particular credit for the team's sprit this year to Charlie Thomas and better coaching. "Players have also received more individual attention because of the addition of assistant coach Elliot Klein," Scott said.
Because of the loss of about one half of the starting team, Scott is vague about predictions for next year. He says, "Next year (unlike past years) we'll have to put out against teams like Yale. There will be a lot more teams that will be able to compete with us."
Even so, Scott said, "There has been some talk of cutting practices down to three or four times a week." With labs and everything there is never a day when the whole team is able to make it."
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