Taking Stock of Fall Sports

Last spring, Harvard sports fans followed the fortunes of their favorite teams with a certain bewilderment. Among men's squads, for instance, the Crimson won four championships in the spring--in baseball, lacrosse, heavyweight crew and lightweight crew.

Some of that prosperity has spilled over into the fall season, and though Harvard does not exactly dominate the Ivies the way it did 15 years ago, it is back, with women's squads coming into their own as a force to be reckoned with.

As October slips away, let's take stock of the Crimson's ventures.

Football (4-2, 2-2 Ivy): Despite a slew of injuries and a recent dearth of touchdowns, this team has performed up to expectations. Beating Army certainly proved a pleasant surprise, and the squad's defense appears as strong as it's been in coach Joe Restic's tenure. If the gridders can top Brown this weekend, and Yale falters, the Crimson has a shot at a share of Ivy glory.

Field Hockey (4-5-3, 0-2-2 Ivy): Kate Martin seems set to break Sarah Mleczko '80's scoring mark for a single season (12 goals). This team has performed well, if erratically, and has two games left. It's getting too cold for field hockey.

Men's cross country (5-5, third at Big Three): It should be interesting to see how the harriers do at the Heptagonal meet this weekend. Bill McCurdy has brought along a solid group of runners and, as usual, maintained his sense of humor and equanimity.

Women Harriers

Women's cross country (4-2, second in Ivies): Darlene Beckford has run her way into the spotlight for the Crimson this semester, winning the individual Ivy crown. Kristen Linsley has followed closely in her footsteps, coming second behind her in most races and third in the Ivies. Both have made All-Ivy, but the team fell short of copping the title by one excruciating point, to Princeton, 62-63.

Men's soccer (7-4, 1-3 Ivy): A squad that exudes talent and plays what George Ford calls a "bing-bing" style, which means they make a lot of short passes. A couple of frustrating losses in the Ivies have kept this team from ranking highly in the East, but overall the booters have borne down under pressure better this season.

Women's soccer (8-3): The Ivy tournament this weekend will give the Crimson's often-awesome women booters a chance to avenge a couple of sloppy losses. The offense since Saturday has been stifled by the rain at Princeton and shut out (for the first time) by archrival UMass. But if you want to see goals scored in a soccer game, head to New Haven this weekend to see Sue St. Louis strut her stuff.

Men's water polo (5-5): The most pleasant surprise, primarily because no one knew what to expect. But this infant varsity squad last week soaked Yale, 13-7, and stayed close to Eastern power Brown, 12-8. Houston Hall and David Fasi stand out on this well-balanced squad coached by Stephen Pike.