Men's Soccer to Play Brown for Ivy Title

Life is definitely looking good for the Harvard men's soccer team, which is riding a 12-game winning streak into its last Ivy League match of the year.

The Crimson players have much to rejoice in, not the least of which is its ninth-place ranking in the national coach's poll. Harvard's play has been unparalleled by any other teams in the Ancient Eight.

After an early wake up call against Cornell which Harvard (12-1-0 overall, 5-1-0 Ivy) lost on its season opener, the Crimson showed its true colors in its second game, a 4-1 mauling of the Lions.

It has never looked back.

The Crimson offense has been a threat to all who have faced it because of its explosive potential to score only minutes after the starting whistle. Junior forward Tom McLaughlin leads the Ivy League in overall scoring and senior forward Rich Wilmot is third in points scored in Ivy League matches.

Captain Will Kohler whose relentless play was a huge factor in the Crimson's win against the Big Green last Saturday garnered this week's Player of the Week honors.

Harvard also boasts the most vaunted defense in the league anchored by sophomore goalie Jordan Dupuis--the league-leader in save percentage--and senior Peter Albers, who has not allowed a single shot to escape him in Harvard's last two games.

The result when this harmony of offense and defense is achieved is impeccable play and one more 'W' in the win column.

This Saturday's match versus the Brown Bears should serve as nothing more than the honing of an already sharp and devastating blade.

While Harvard has clinched at least a tie for the Ivy League championship, Cornell, the only team to defeat Harvard, is not far behind.

The Big Red (10-2-2, 3-1-2) tied the Bears last Saturday and will face Yale this weekend.

Penn has a formidible record in the league but its play against non-Ivy opponents has been far less impressive (7-5-1, 4-2-0).

The Quaker's goalie, freshman Michael O'Connor was honored for the second straight week and was named the Rookie of the Week.

Although the Dartmouth team has talent, the Big Green has been unable to win consistently. Dartmouth showed a big heart in its game against Harvard but lost, dropping its record to 6-7-1, 2-2-1 Ivy. This weekend Dartmouth faces Columbia.

Following Dartmouth in the league is Yale. While the Elis have posted a winning overall record, their sub-standard Ivy league performance puts them below the .500 mark (7-6-1, 2-3-0 Ivy).

Columbia (8-5-2, 1-3-2 Ivy) is coming off two consecutive wins. Picked by some to contend for the Ivy title, the Lions struggled early in the season, effectively eliminating them from contention for a top spot.

The Brown Bears (6-3-4, 0-2-3) played well last week, managing to tie Cornell 0-0. Brown, still searching for its first Ivy League victory, hopes to salvage a lost season at Harvard.

The Princeton Tigers have been tamed by every Ivy league opponent it has faced. Princton's sorry record (4-7-3, 0-3-2) leaves Princeton fans eagerly awaiting the beginning of the basketball season.

The match of the week to watch, however, is indisputaply the 1:30 p.m. game which features Harvard and Brown at Ohiri Field.

The Crimson holds its destiny in its own hands, and if it can send the Bears into hibernation early for the winter, the Ivy League championship and the automatic NCAA tournament bid that comes with it will belong solely to Harvard.