Booters Face Surging Jumbos

After keeping its Ivy League title hopes alive with a, 3-1, victory over Princeton Saturday, Harvard's soccer team will take a breather from conference action today when it tries to maintain its number one ranking in New England against number two rated Tufts at 2 p.m. on the Jumbos' Alumni Field.

In the weekly New England soccer ratings released yesterday, the Crimson remained in its familiar top position but rumblings from a surging pack of squads below threatened Harvard's premier rating. For the first time since early in the season, the Crimson failed to poll all 12 first place votes and its lead over the second seated Jumbos dwindled to 22 points.

Shaved Margin

Tufts routed MIT, 4-0, and Bowdoin, 4-1, last week to remain in second place with 97 points, a total which shaved 8 points off Harvard's margin of a week ago. The two wins boosted its record to 10-1, the only loss being a, 1-0, overtime defeat to Amherst.

The Crimson, sporting a 7-1 record and three of the top five scorers in the Ivy League in Felix Adedeji (first), Chris Papagianis (second) and Chris Wilmot (tied for third), hopes to duplicate last year's, 4-1, victory over Tufts but Crimson injuries may be a factor in the outcome.

Harvard starters Emanuel Ekama and Norie Harrower are definitely out of the match. Ekama is still suffering from a foot injury and a groin pull while Harrower's severely pulled hamstring will again keep him out of the lineup.

Both Adedeji and senior captain Charlie Thomas are question marks for Tufts. "Charlie was out kicking today but he didn't run at all," coach Bruce Munro said yesterday. "His injured leg is very painful, the more he runs on it, the more it hurts."

Adedeji is still limping from a leg injury suffered in the Penn game. Although used for about three periods against Princeton, his status for today's match is still undecided. No matter who's in the lineup. Harvard will continue to use a short passing ball control game plan which has been characteristic of its attack all season. Tufts will oppose Harvard with a completely different style of offense. The Jumbos are a kick and run team, which waits for breaks and then capitalizes. "They are a tough, physical team but are extremely good offensively," Munro said.

Mono

Against Harvard, Tufts will be without the services of starting goalie and co-captain Dick Hansen, who is out with mononucleosis. However, co-captain Jack Harrison will be back at left wing for the first time in six weeks to bolster the attack.

"I wouldn't say our attack is exactly kick and run." Jumbo coach Herbert Erickson said. "The attack hard to characterize sometimes, it's often disorganized but it gets results and that's what we're after."

Wide World of Sports used to show brief flashes of the snowmen at the Dartmouth Winter Carnival and then quickly switch to Waikiki for Duke Komanamoko the white water. This Saturday, the Hanover Woods have attracted Chris Schenkel, Bud Wilkinson, and Bill Fleming to the Ivy battle of Ed Marinaro vs. the Big Green. The Ivy title, the Heisman Trophy, and the New York Nielsen rating are at stake.