Soccer Team Faces Indians Today

Two high-spirited soccer teams. Harvard and Dartmouth, will meet at 3 p.m. this afternoon on the Business School Field. The Indians, one of the many dark horses in the Ivy League race, could move into first place with a victory today.

But the Crimson is a much different team from the squad that barely beat Williams nine days ago. "We played just horribly against Williams." coach Bruce Munro said, "But we controlled the middle of the field against Cornell and this week in practice we've played our best soccer of the year."

In the Cornell game, the Crimson succeeded in keeping the ball in its offensive half of the field for sustained periods. Harvard outshoot the Big Red, 26-4, in the second half alone.

Score No indication

The close 2-1 score was not an indication of the play of the game. Harvard moved as a coordinated team in the final 15 minutes, almost the first time the Crimson has mastered the 4-4-2 attack this year. Most players feel that Harvard will continue to develop its short passing organization.

"Nobody really completely understands the 4-4-2," Munro said. "I'm still finding out strategies in individual situations. But now that tensions have been relieved. we should be ready to jell."

The 4-4-2 should receive a real test from the Indians. Dartmouth plays almost an 11-man fullback line, hoping that the opposition's fullbacks will be caught up field on a quick clear to a breaking forward.

The defensive approach has been fairly successful for the Indians. In six games goalie John Orange has yielded only five goals, recording three shutouts in the process.

Of course, Dartmouth has only scored five times and never more than once in a game, but the Indians have managed two 1-0 victories over Amherst and Brown.

Brown had been undefeated, ranked second in New England and seventh in the nation, until Gary Gaspar scored on a penalty kick after a one-on-one break with a long lead pass, and the 11-man Dartmouth defense proved too much for Brown.

At first sight, it appears that Harvard will be trying to play a two-man forward line against an 11-man defense, but Munro is confident that his system will prevail.

"With our wings playing up, we have a 2-4-4," he said. "Now if they bottle up the middle, we carry it up the sides. If they come to the outside, we use our two center halfbacks as inside scorers. And all the time we've got four halfbacks to keep the ball forward."

Dartmouth is equally confident that its defensive style will stop the Crimson. "Munro has overestimated his talent," forward Wayne Pirmann said. "The 4-4-2 is a professional attack and demands more than a good college team. Harvard's wings are too slow to do the job."

"Statistics show it takes about 30 shots on goal to score," Munro said. "No matter how many guys they put in the penalty area, we'll get to the net eventually."

The only definite change in the Crimson line-up is that Norrie Harrower will start at right-center halfback. Chris Ferner, who has been starting, will alternate with Harrower and Emmanuel Ekkama during the game.

Munro has not decided who will start in goal. "We've got two such great goalies," he said. "I haven't found any way to keep one happy on the bench. I'll probably end up flipping a coin."