Final Four Report:
Harvard Falls to San Diego State
in Penalty Kick Shootout

From The Boston Globe

HARVARD IS ELIMINATED IN
SEMIFINAL SHOOTOUT

Date: Sunday, December 6, 1987
Section: SPORTS
Page: 78

By Paul Doyle, Special to the Globe

After playing 17 games without losing, the Harvard soccer team was
cut off by an old nemesis yesterday: the NCAA Division 1 semifinals.

For the second year in a row, The Crimson (14-1-3) were tossed
from the tournament in the semifinals. Yesterday, they were edged by
San Diego State, 2-1 (5-4 in penalty shots), at Clemson, S.C. It is
the fourth time in 19 years Harvard has lost in the semis. It has never
advanced to the finals.

This year, the fourth-ranked Crimson could taste the finals. San
Diego State (20-5) needed 90 minutes, two overtime periods and
five penalty shots to eliminate Harvard. The teams had played to a
1-1 tie through the two overtimes, and finished four penalty kicks
tied, 3-3. San Diego State won it on one-on-one kicks.

After Brad Walsh scored San Diego State's second goal of the
one-on-one shootout, Harvard's Mark Pepper was stopped cold by
sophomore goalie Bryan Finnerty, and the Aztecs were in today's
final, where they will play Clemson. The Tigers, shooting for their
second national championship in four years, got a pair of goals from
Pearce Tormey to defeat North Carolina, 4-1, in yesterday's second
semifinal.

"I thought we were going to win it in regulation, overtime and in the
penalty kicks," said Harvard coach Mike Getman. "The players we
had taking the penalty kicks were confident, and I had confidence in
them."

Harvard had opened the scoring at 19:40 when Derek Mills' 18-yard
indirect kick deflected off a San Diego State player into the lower
right corner. Paul Baverstock was credited with the assist after
touching the restart to Mills.

San Diego State finally tied it when Brad Walsh headed home the
rebound of a shot that deflected off the crossbar at 79:11.

In the overtimes, Harvard outshot San Diego State, 6-4, and was
denied on two good scoring opportunities.

Pepper, playing in just his fifth game of the season after returning
from an injury, was stopped from 8 yards out by Finnerty. Finnerty
came up with another spectacular diving save in the second overtime
when he deflected a Robert Bonnie shot just wide of the left post.

"I thought we played very well, but things just didn't go our way in
the end," Getman said. "San Diego State played pretty much as we
expected. They're a very good team."

Harvard had a chance to win it in the penalty shots. Leading, 3-2, on
the fourth shot, Finnerty dove to his left to snare a Ramy Rajballie
shot. San Diego State tied it at 3-3 when Eric Wynalda converted on
the next penalty kick with a shot to the left corner over Harvard
goalie Stephen Hall.

Harvard's David Kramer then missed on the Crimson's fourth penalty
shot, and the teams went to a one-on-one format. They traded goals
in the first round. In the second round, Walsh scored to give the
Aztecs a 5-4 lead.

In Harvard's last chance, Finnerty had to stop Pepper twice. On the
first shot, the officials ruled that Finnerty moved too soon and
awarded Pepper another shot. But Finnerty came up with another
save and the Crimson were eliminated.

"All we had to do was put the ball in the net to beat them, but
unfortunately we weren't able to do that," said Getman.