Riding the crest of a strong second half, the host University of Rhode Island mens' soccer team blanked Harvard yesterday 2-0 in the latest chapter of the booters' disappointing 2-4-2 season.

URI, however, did not dominate throughout. In the first 45 minutes of play, the Crimson controlled the ball, missing two goals--one by the width of a post and another by the length of a goalie's outstretched arm.

"The first half was our half," defender Andreas Keller-Sarmiento said.

The Crimson, however, failed to conclude its offensive attempts, and the two teams were deadlocked at nil when the first stanza ended.

Later on, though

In the second half, pressuring URI play began to rattle Harvard with a more aggressive attack.

The difference was painfully obvious in the statistics. Harvard and URI each fired eight shots in the first stanza, but in the second, the Rams outshot the Crimson 9-1.

"They started to close us down," Harvard sweeper Peter Sergienko said, adding, "they had a few good shots that Peter [Walsh-- the keeper] stopped."

At 60:41 though, a scramble in the front of the crease created a scoring opportunity for Keith Sheatherm, who lofted a chip over the head of the charging Walsh that mid-fielder Mike Mogollon--standing on the goal line--batted away with his hand. Dave Caetano then converted the ensuing penalty kick to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage.

Ten minutes later the Rams bucked again as Caetano dumped off to Sheatherm, who set up Jim Chapman for URI's second tally of the afternoon, sealing the Crimson's third loss in four games.

The one positive aspect of Chapman's goal was that it helped prevent the Crimson from having to play in another overtime period. Besides having to play four games in seven days, the booters were extended twice in their first two games this week.

"I think we may just be mentally tired," Keller-Sarmiento said after the contest. "We're just not clicking. We need a spark to turn us around," he added.