Crimson Repels Big Red Three Times

Its fans are still waiting for the offensive explosion, but the goal-a-game Harvard soccer team was anything but a disappointment Saturday as it upset 14th-ranked Cornell, 1-0, at the Business School Field.

For the Crimson it was the second victory in as many Ivy League contests, keeping Harvard two points behind unbeaten Brown (3-0) in the league championship race.

The Big Red, whose last encounter before the Harvard match was a 2-0 pasting of perennial powerhouse Penn one week earlier, slipped to 1-1 in the circuit.

Harvard surprised Cornell, a heavy favorite with its national ranking and prior success against Penn, by scoring early in the first period. Sophomore halfback Mark Zimering started the play when he took the ball away from a Red fullback about 40 yards in front of the Cornell goal and dribbled back upfield.

Zimering spotted rookie striker Lyman Bullard cutting across from the right wing and slipped him a perfect pass eight yards to the left of Cornell goalkeeper Jon Ross, an honorable mention All-Ivy pick a year ago. Bullard rocketed a shot into the opposite corner from a tough angle, beating Ross cleanly.

"Bullard is an excellent player and a real scoring threat," said Red soccer coach Dan Wood. "We came in thinking we might shut Harvard out, but after that we were fighting just to tie it up again."

Harvard's defense was the real hero of the game, however. Right after Harvard's goal, Cornell put on its most impressive rush of the game, pinning the Crimson in its own end for a full six minutes.

But Harvard's three junior fullbacks, Jeff Hargadon, Ralph Booth and Bob Thompson, so successfully blunted the Big Red attack that Cornell failed to put a shot on goal for the entire six-minute period.

Harvard was able to keep the pressure on Ross continuously, while Harvard's Ben Bryan, the senior goalkeeper, benefited from the protection of his back line.

"I was a little anxious back there most of the game, expecting the big one," said Bryan. "We knew they were a strong team offensively, but I didn't really have a hard save all day, and I didn't dive once. Plus the fullbacks must have blocked a million shots."

With Brown idle next week, the Crimson, 3-1-1 overall, has a chance at the league lead in its next start Saturday at Dartmouth.