Booters Host B.C. Eagles

The heady scent of last Saturday's Ivy Championship fresh in their noses, the women's soccer team kicks off AIAW regional competition today with a first round contest against visiting Boston College.

The Crimson, second-seeded in the tournament, the Eagles, and six other teams in the AIAW Eastern region vie today for a spot in next weekend's regional final four in Storrs, CT., aiming ultimately for an invitation to the AIAW national championships two weeks from now in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Other first-round match-ups pit Brown against UConn, Princeton against Cortland State, and Rochester against UMass.

The Eastern region includes seven of the country's top 20 teams, and a full two-thirds of its varsity programs, making it indisputably the toughest from which to qualify for Chapel Hill. Only the regional winner is guaranteed a spot in the twelve-team national tournament.

Pre-tournament favorite Uconn--ranked third nationally--faces stiff competition, particularly from the Crimson and Cortland State.

Wishful Thinking

B.C. brings an 8-4-1 record, including an early-season 4-1 loss to the Crimson, into today's 2:30 contest at the Business School. Although the Crimson (11-1) is the favorite on paper, the Eagles come into the contest expecting, "a helluva game," says Ben Brewster, B.C. soccer co-ordinator.

"The score of last game was deceiving," Brewster adds. "Our goalie tripped on one goal, we missed a penalty shot, and a couple times (striker Kelly) Landry broke away from her man for easy goals. Take those away and it was pretty tight."

Exceptional

Brewster points to keeping leading Crimson scorer Landry in check as central to the Eagles strategy. "Landry can hurt you in a lot of ways. She's dangerous as anyone I've seen.

Harvard Coach Bob Scalise sees the Crimson-Eagle re-match in slightly different terms. "We didn't play particularly well the first time against them, and if we do what we can do, the outcome should be similar."

And Scalise notes, "It's the game of the century for them. It's the first time they've been in the Easterns, and they're psyched."

The last time B.C. beat Harvard was five years ago when both schools played club soccer.