Stanford Invades Ohiri To Take on M. Booters

East meets West. Ivy meets Pac-10. The Stanford Tree might even change its leaves' colors for this one.

In a matchup between Stanford and the "Stanford of the East," the Harvard men's soccer team will attempt to return to its winning ways today at 3:30 at Ohiri Field. The Crimson (2-2) is reeling after Sunday's 7-2 shellacking by Indiana.

The Cardinal (3-4-1) has been inconsistent this season. After opening the season with two impressive wins, including a 7-0 thumping of San Jose State, Stanford lost a close decision to the Hoosiers, 1-0.

The Cardinal then went winless in its next four games, tying once. Stanford finally conquered Old Dominion, 2-1, last Saturday.

"Stanford has a lot of talent, but they're a little inconsistent all over the field," Harvard Coach Mike Getman said.

Jim Talluto (4 goals, 0 assists, 8 points) leads a potent Cardinal attack. Rhett Harty (3-1--7) and Mark Semioli (3-0--6) provide support on offense.

The offense has fluctuated between explosiveness and impotence. Highlighted by the seven-goal outburst against San Jose State, Stanford proceeded to go scoreless in three of its four defeats.

"[Stanford is] definitely a dangerous team. If they start clicking, they can give anybody trouble," Getman said.

Thus, Harvard will need to rely on its defense to contain the potentially dangerous Cardinal line. Sophomore goalie Scott Salisbury has saved 77 percent of the shots he has faced for a goals against average of 2.26.

Offensively, seniors Nick D'Onofrio (3-1--7) and Derek Mills (2-3--7) have carried the team. Right wing Dave Kramer rounds out the forward line.

Kyle Krpata and Chris "Gates of" Helling have shared the netminding duties for Stanford. They have a combined goals-against average of 1.62.

Based on results against common opponent Indiana, the Cardinal simply overmatches Harvard. But this may be misleading. The Hoosiers peaked on Sunday, playing at a higher level than they had in previous matches.

"We did some things offensively that I haven't seen this team do this year," Indiana Coach Jerry Yeagley said. "It was our best effort to date."

"Harvard caught us on a day when we did bust loose," Yeagley said. "We've had games with more shots and more chances...but only come up with one or two goals."

Harvard must contain Stanford to no more than that today, lest the Tree plant its roots in Cambridge.