Crimson Soccer Team Nips Cornell, 2-1

After a Crimson siege of the Cornell goal that lasted nearly three periods, inside John Mudd pushed over a score at 19:40 of the fourth quarter and gave the varsity soccer team a 2-1 victory over the Big Red Saturday in a home contest.

Mudd's goal came near the end of a contest dominated almost entirely by the Crimson offense. Cornell, remembering Larry Ekpebu's two decisive tallies last fall, assigned three men to cover the Crimson center forward. As a result, John McIntosh and Tadgh Sweeney, the varsity's wings, had numerous scoring opportunities and were able to dribble down the field with a minimum of resistance.

On the other hand, Cornell's offense was centered entirely around one man--Ron Maierhoffer, the Big Red left wing and a Pan-American star. Maierhoffer ranged all over the field and managed to score the lone Cornell tally on an unstoppable crossing shot at 1:30 of the second period. But for most of the game McIntosh, halfback Charlie Steele, and fullback Tim Morgan kept the Big Red's only hope in check.

Mudd scored the first goal for the Crimson with 18:10 gone in the opening quarter. Halfback Bill Rapp dropped a perfect pass right in front of the Cornell nets, and the entire center of the varsity line charged en masse, sending everything--ball, goalie, and a few stray defenders--rolling into the goal. Mudd gave the ball the final nudge.

After dribbling through most of the Crimson defense, Maierhoffer evened the count early in the second period. On the scoring play, Lanny Keyes, the varsity's captain and fullback, seemed to reinjure his heavily taped right leg. Operating at considerably less than top efficiency, he stayed in the game and was again the one essential man in the Crimson's defensive backfield.

In the third period, the Big Red offense disappeared, while the varsity got off several good shots. Only the alert play of Cornell's Scotty Holmes in the goal staved off disaster. As the fourth quarter wore on, however, it seemed that the Crimson's domination of play might not be enough to defeat the exhausted Big Red.

The big break came at 19:40. Charlie Steele sent a pass to inside Bruce Johnstone in front of the Cornell goal. As Holmes came out to meet him, Johnstone passed the ball to his right, where Mudd, again in the right place at the right time, had a short, unobstructed shot at the goal. Even though the varsity concentrated entirely on defense for the last two minutes, Cornell still could not get the ball out of its own territory.

Conditioning was a large factor in the Crimson's success. In Ivy competition, squads are limited to 16, and as the game progresses, endurance becomes highly important. The varsity's better physical shape was clearly evident in the fourth quarter.

The team's record now stands at three wins and a tie, with a 1-0 slate in the Ivy League. If the team can find a dangerous scorer to complement its accurate passing game and strong defense, it will be rough to reckon with.