Hoeppner's Tally Ties Cornell 2-2 in Soccer

Lutz Hoeppner's penalty shot with 45 seconds remaining in the second overtime period salvaged a 2-2 tie for the Harvard soccer team in a crucial Ivy League encounter with Cornell at Ithaca Saturday. The Crimson booters' precise passing and trapping controlled play, but Harvard never led, largely because of two missed penalty shots.

Harvard players appealed for two "hands" calls inside the Big Red penalty area before the referee whistled his agreement late in the first quarter. Inside Jaime Vargas lined the penalty shot along the ground to the right, but the diving Cornell goalie blocked the ball and beat Vargas to the rebound.

The undaunted Crimson kept up the pressure as the second quarter opened and forced a corner kick from the dangerous east corner, where the wind and a right-footer's natural hook combined to curve the ball into the goalmouth.

The Cornell defense cleared Robertson's first two tries over the end line, but on the third corner a Big Red back jumped into Harvard's Ahmed Yehia and the game's second penalty kick was awarded.

Robertson took it this time. He danced up to the ball and rocketed a low bullet that missed the right post by inches.

With this miss, the game's momentum shifted in Cornell's favor, and the Big Red capitalized on their only sustained offensive threat of the afternoon.

Center forward Alexandrides picked up a loose ball bobbled by the Harvard fullbacks just inside the penalty area and blasted a shot that beat goalie Richie Locksley inches below the crossbar.

Vargas tied the game at 12:37 of the third period. A sloppy clear by Cornell center halfback Kevin Suffern gave Harvard a throw-in deep in Big Red territory. Left half Mike Sicher passed to reserve inside Bruce Detora, who handed off to Vargas. The Colombian junior, now playing center forward, dribbled diagonally acoss the penalty area and pushed the ball past the goalie from five yards out on the right side.

Cornell played with the wind in the first of the two five-minute overtime periods and used it to go ahead. A high corner kick from the east corner eluded substitute goalie Jay Beese's grasp and twisted into the goal.

Hoeppner was two feet wide to the left on a hard shot, but otherwise Harvard was frustated in getting off any shots.

Then in the game's final minute a Cornell fullback pushed Harvard's Gerry Montero as he dribbled down the right wing towad the goal.

The Cornell players, with victory seemingly in their grasp, reacted violently and both the center half and the center forward were removed, but the call was an obvious one.

Hoeppner's penalty shot was delayed several minutes while protests subsided and the Cornell goalie went through an elaborate series of warmups. When the whistle finally blew, it was Harvard's senior inside who was ready.

His shot hit the right post and bounded into the net, past the goalie's dive.

Harvard started the game without two first-string halfbacks and ended without its goalie. The game's start was delayed 90 minutes to enable captain Joe Gould and Abi Azikiwe to take medical boards in the morning, but the senior halfbacks still missed most of the first quarter. Junior Mike Sicher, however, came into his own as a Crimson halfback and stayed in the lineup most of the game.

Locksley was taken from the field by an ambulance late in the third quarter after a Cornell corner kick. The sophomore goalie was knocked off balance by Cornell's center half as they both went for the ball, which Locksley grabbed, and he injured his back when he fell.

Locksley's condition is uncertain, pending results of x-rays.

Harvard mounted its steadiest threat in the fourth quarter. Cornell came close once, but first Breese then fullback Dave Wright made good stops. Everyone but Breese spent the rest of the period in the Big Red half.

Vargas and Hoeppner had two chances each, but couldn't get off their usually deadly bullets. Right wing Geoff Keppel also missed with a left-footed drive from short range.

The tie doesn't damage Harvard's title chances too seriously, because Penn and Brown, the other top teams, also have ties on their records.