M. Booters Travel South this Weekend

While thousands of people cram the banks of the Charles River this Saturday to view the Head of the Charles, the Harvard men's soccer team will be hundreds of miles away making its most important road trip of the season.

On Friday, the Crimson (3-4-1 overall, 1-2 Ivy), fresh off last Sunday's 3-0 shellacking at the feet of Hartford, meets up with Princeton (5-5 overall, 4-1 Ivy) at Lourie-Love Field. The Tigers dropped a tough game last Saturday, losing to top-ranked UCLA in overtime, 2-1.

But Princeton bounced back on Sunday to knock off fifth-ranked Virginia, 2-1, at the Met Life Classic at Rutgers University. Junior David Hocher scored his ninth goal of the season against Virginia and leads the Ivy League with five goals and one assist.

Wasn't Victor Hernani's hat trick last Sunday enough?

On Sunday, Harvard squares off with a less competitive Pennsylvania squad at River Field. The Quakers (1-2 Ivy) will look to avenge their 1-0 loss to the Crimson last season at Ohiri Field. Junior Jeremy Amen scored last year's lone tally against Penn.

The outlook for the weekend series: "Two tough games," junior fullback Don Daigle said. "We simply have to beat both these teams."

Harvard goalie Scott Salisbury, sidelined for most of the season with a sprained left ankle, practiced yesterday and is expected to suit up for Friday's match against the Tigers.

Salisbury, who entered the season vying for the starting job with junior Jamie Reilly, has not allowed a goal but only has played 22 minutes this season. Last year, Salisbury allowed only 0.9 goals per game in the Ivy League, compiling two wins in three starts.

Reilly is expected to start on Friday.

However, Harvard's injury woes continue as junior midfielder Jason Luzak and freshman midfielder Joe Bradley are questionable for the weekend series. Luzak has been bothered by a sore right foot, and Bradley has been plagued by a bruised thigh throughout the season.

Harvard has suffered a recent scoring drought, tallying only once in the last two games. The Crimson will look to team-scoring leader Juan Betancourt to break the squad out of its slump. The sophomore midfielder has netted four goals this season, including two in Ivy League play.