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Booters Breeze By B.C., 2-1

Crimson Gets Back on Track with New England Win

Harvard men's soccer Coach Mike Getman decided to do a little adjusting in yesterday's contest against Boston College at Ohiri Field.

Change a few names in the starting line-up. Switch the players around. Create some new combinations. Activate a new attacking style.

Anything to get his team to score a couple of goals. Remedy that deficient scoring column. Improve that mediocre record.

The Crimson responded with a 2-1 triumph over the Eagles in front of 75 spectators. A minor adjustment in the scoring column--and a major adjustment in play.

Harvard (4-2-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) played like a team that wanted its national ranking back. And wanted to preserve its chance for a repeat bid to the national tournament. And needed a win to get back on track.

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Ranked number one at the start of the season, the Crimson had struggled the past two weeks, losing twice and tying once in a two-week span.

In case an embarassing 3-1 loss to Hartwick and a fall out of the national standings didn't rattle the team, Getman decided to shake things up a bit.

For three-and-a-half seasons, senior Ramy Rajballie had played at the right midfield position.

Not so yesterday. Rajballie became a forward--on the left wing.

And he didn't need much time to settle in. Rajballie picked up a ball from junior midfielder Paul Baverstock and fired a shot past Eagle goalie Mark Weinman 23:52 into the contest.

Adjust that zero in Rajballie's goal-scoring column to a one.

And give Harvard a 1-0 lead--it's first first-half advantage of the season.

"We played two [forwards] wide and one inside," Getman said. "It gave Ramy free reign to go forward. It was obviously effective for him."

The old system--three center forwards with the option to push out to the wings--had been deadly for Crimson opponents last season.

This season it was simply dead.

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