Ask anyone who knows anything at all about soccer and they'll say that the key to any offense is to finish the scoring chances that appear. And in as match Saturday with the Harvard men's soccer learn, Yale did just that, routing the boaters, 4-0, with three second-half goals.

To score three goats in a 45-minute span is not an amazing feat. But the Elis, who finished second in the Ivy League (5-1-1) in their best season (10-2-3) since a string of glory years in the last '50s, did it with only three shots in the final stanza.

Harvard, on the other hand, could not even come close to matching that 1,000 average. Despite control of the ball for most of the 90 minutes and more than a handful of genuine threats on the "Bulldogs" goalmouth, the Crimson could not put the ball in the back of the net.

Yallies Get Tally

Yale opened the scoring early, when Eli senior forward Kevin Maher-a bona fide All-America candidate-rammed home a right-football half volley at 7:43 from a heading cross that goalkeeper Matt Ginsburg mishandled.

But the Crimson (5-10, 2-5 in the Ivies), roared to life after the Bulldogs' initial tally, winning loose balls and collecting all but the most perfect Yale passes. Offensively, Harvard moved the ball effectively, with strong wing play from senior Steve Higginson and freshman Lane Kenworthy. But no-one could knot the score.

The most decisive minutes of the match came with 38 minutes left in the second half. Higginson scooped up a ball on a bad pass in the Yale defense Dribbling in from about 25 yards, the Cohasset, Mass. native hit a low drive from point blank range that charging Eli netminder Jeff Duback could only parry away.

Senior halfback Mike Mogollon collected the deflection snacking a right-footer from 16 yards that nicked the Bulldogs, left post and was cleared by sweeper Peter Sawkins.

After coming so close and coming up short, the booters began to press and Yale used the three opportunities it got Maher, who broke the Elis career scoring mark with his two-goal two-assist performance led the charge.

"I thought we gave them a good fight until the floodgates opened," said Coach Jape Shattuck after the match.

The dam burst at 71 36 with Maher dribbling goalward from the left wing and slipping a pass to fellow frontrunner David Delgado, who blasted a right-footed rocket past a charging Ginsburg.

Yale tallied on a nearly identical play 10 minutes later, with Maher connecting with Bulldog Captain Mark Rozelle for the goal. The offensive powerhouse from Guilford, Conn., grabbed another with 5:59 left, launching a 29-yarder past Ginsburg.