Big Red Booters Stomp Uninspired Harvard, 3-1

The undefeated and untested Harvard soccer team took its over-confidence to Ithaca Saturday and paid dearly. An exceptionally fast Cornell team combined with a string of Harvard injuries to send the Crimson home with a 3-1 loss and a lot of work to do before Friday's Dartmouth game.

Harvard's problem started when goalie Rich Hammond dislocated two fingers in a scramble for the ball 18 minutes into the first quarter. With first-string goalie Nat Bowditch on the disabled list from last week's Columbia game, the burden of stopping the strong Cornell attack fell to last year's freshman goalie, Norris Childs.

Cornell took the lead two minutes after Hammond's injury and lengthened it to 2-0 in the third quarter. Both scores came on rebounds from shots Childs stopped but couldn't hold.

Harvard fought back into the game with nine minutes remaining. Right winger Dudley Blodgett carried the ball down-field and centered it to left wing Charlie Njoku, who punched the ball passed Cornell's goalie.

Harvard almost completed the comeback, but when the Big Red goalie, who made good saves all afternoon, stopped Jim Saltonstall's bullet from 18 yards out, the game turned. Cornell moved the game down to the other end, and iced it with another rebound goal with a minute-and-a-half to go.

The Harvard offense, which had scored 27 goals in its first four games, found the Cornell defense reaching all its long passes first.

Coach Bruce Monro said last night that he is concerned most about the injuries, which hit Chuck Okigwe, Tony Marks, and Luts Hoeppner in addition to Hammond.