Favored Crimson Booters Host Dartmouth Today

Occupied by memories of the past (a superlative 4-0 win over Cornell last Saturday) and thought of the futur (a showdown next weekend with Penn for the Ivy title), the Harvard soccer team returns to the present this afternoon when it hosts Dartmouth at 2 p.m. on the Business School field.

Psychologically, at least, the Crimson will be looking past the Big Green to its crucial confrontation with the Quakers and is in a somewhat vulnerable position. A letdown following a highly-charged game with the Big Red is not out of the question, and Dartmouth, while bringing to Cambridge only a mediocre 3-3-1 record, is a competent Ivy team.

"Most people are expecting us to look past this game to Penn, but we're definitely not," head coach Bruce Munro this game, and they are the kind of gung ho, running team that could upset our normal style of play," he added.

Munro and assistant coach seamus Matia are particularly anxious to avoid a near disappointment similar to one in the Wesleyan game ten days ago in which Harvard narrowly escaped with a 2-1 win after trouncing Columbia the previous Saturday, 8-4. "We can't afford a drop-off in quality, and we have to establish a real sense of improvement for the Penn game," Malin said.

Weekly Ratings

A solid win over Dartmouth would also enhance the Crimson's chances of overtaking Bridgeport and Brown in the weekly New England soccer ratings, since the pollsters lead to disregard wins over team like Council that are not in New England. The people Knights, for example, lost to Hartwick last week, but retained first place despite the fast that Hartwick best Cornell earlier in the season, 4-2, and Harvard beat Cornell, 4-2.

The Crimson, who remain unbeaten after five games, and have moved into a first place tie with Penn and Brown, has been improving steadily all season, and is coming off its best game of the season. Both the offense and defense played extremely well against Cornell, and the team is healthier than it has been since Columbia.

Felix Adedeji, who was slowed considerably by muscle spasm; against Cornell, is markedly improved this week, and he will play. Ric LaCivita, who played with bruised ribs last week, is not fully recovered but will start, while Emannuel Ekama is still out with a sore foot.

The Harvard offense, which leads the league with 12 goals, counts the top three scorers in the Ivy league among its starting four Chris Papagianis, who, Munro said had "the best game I've ever seen him play" against Cornell leads with seven points. Adedeji follows with five and Bent Hinze holds down third with four points. "This line could be even better than last year's," Munro said.

The Dartmouth defense anchored by goalie Mark Porto, who has been outstanding will be hard pressed to stop the Crimson scoring combine. The balance of the Harvard offense prevents any defense from keying on a particular player and the precision passing which accounted for what Munro called four of the most perfect goals you`d ever want to see" against the Big Red max be impossible to stop.

Defensive Harvard has settled down after allowing four goals against Columbia, giving up only one to Wesleyan (on a penalty shot and shutting out a highly-rated Huerta led Cornell line Outside defenseman Henry Sideropolous has done a fine job adjusting after switching from halfback LaCivita has played well despite bruised ribs, and captain Ric Scott and Brian Fearnett completely shut off the middle against the Big Red Steve Kidder while not a spectacularly exciting goahe like Shep Messing has played consistently well all season.

The Crimson defense may also have some help today from a relative anemic Big Green attack Dartmouth has only scored once in two Ivy games its leading offensive threat Frank Gall, has been hurt and it does not have a man among the top 15 scorers in the league.