Crimson Begins Soccer Playoffs, Faces WPI with Wilmot Injured

Harvard's varsity soccer team, ranked number one in New England, will play fourth-ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 1:30 p.m. on the Business School field today in the first round of the NCAA university division regional soccer playoffs.

The Crimson, undefeated in nine games and Ivy League champion, is heavily favored to beat W.P.I., 9-1-1 in its regular college division season. Against their only common opponent, the Engineers defeated Tufts, 3-2, while the Crimson stopped the Jumbos, 4-1.

But Harvard may be in serious danger of an upset if junior fullback Chris Wilmot is injured early in the game. Wilmot had been nursing a sore ankle all season and in the Penn game he injured his other ankle, and had to be taken from the game.

Against Brown Saturday. Wilmot reinsured his ankle in the second quarter and had to be assisted to Dillon Field House. He returned to the game in the fourth quarter, but was much more cautions in his play.

Wilmot is an aggressive "sweeper" fullback who roams the defensive line following the man with the hall and frequently making sliding tackles. Without Wilmot Saturday, the Crimson defense was noticeably conservative in its play and the fullback's hesitation led to several dangerous situations and one Brown goal.

Wilmot is also the team's defensive "captain." He calls passes to his teammates and frequently shouts advice during the game.

Coach Bruce Munro has substitute fullbacks in Phil Axten and Chris Ferner, both experienced players, but Harvard would definitely miss Wilmot's vocal leadership.

Munro is not underestimating the strength of his opposition today. "We can't think of W.P.I. as a next door neighbor team like M.I.T. or Tufts," he said. "Any team that's 9-1-1 has something going for it and has to be respected."

But Munro felt the team would be up for the game because the players were disappointed with their win over Brown. "Most of them felt we didn't play as well as we should have, so I think they'll be ready to assert themselves," he said.

The only change in the starting lineup will be at goal, where Shep Messing is scheduled to play, unless an ankle injury that kept him out of practice last week is still bothering him.

Scoring Record

W.P.I. is a high-scoring team that scored 40 goals in just 11 games this fall. Forward Jack Blaisdell set a school individual scoring record with 15 goals.