M. Soccer in Middle of Ivy League Pack

After a shaky start, the Harvard men's soccer team has pulled to 2-2 in league play after last weekend's win over the Cornell Big Red. The Crimson is now tied for fourth place in the Ivy League, and is going into the second half of the season with strong momentum. Even with only an outside shot at the league title, the team is still in the hunt, and it holds a two-game Ivy winning streak. Here's a look at how the rest of the league breaks down:

Dartmouth (7-2, 2-0 Ivy) has ridden senior Chris Pedick's six-game goal-scoring streak to the front of the Ivy League standings, earning the Big Green a No. 17 ranking in the country and its best start since 1954. Its last league game was a 4-0 walloping of the Princeton Tigers. Senior defender Chris Dedicik scored twice, and senior goalkeeper Matt Nyman recorded his 14th career shutout. He needs only three more to set the Dartmouth all-time record.

Brown (8-2, 2-0 Ivy) is tied atop the Ivy League. The Bears are led by forward Marcio, the Ivy League's fourth-leading scorer, and goalie Matt Cross, who has yet to relinquish a goal in league play. Brown is the defending Ivy League champion, and is looking to repeat this year. Its game with Dartmouth on the last day of the season could well decide the league title.

Anders Kelto, a junior for the Bears, played in his first game last week. The forward from Williamsburg, Mich. had a heart condition that made him medically ineligible his freshman and junior years. In his first week back, he tallied an assist and a goal in wins against Providence and Princeton.

Another big name this year for Brown is Adrian Rapp, a freshman from Sausalito, Calif. He has scored goals in three consecutive games, and is the 10th leading scorer in the Ivy League.

Columbia, who last won the Ivy League title in 1993, is still undefeated in league play (3-3-2, 1-0-1 Ivy), although it played to a tie last weekend with league doormat Pennsylvania.

Penn got off 16 shots against the Lions, and almost scored on a shot by sophomore midfielder Henry Chen as time expired. Columbia could not make much progress against the stingy Quaker defense, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

This upcoming weekend will be a big test for Columbia, as it hosts undefeated Brown. Goalkeeper Matt Hill has let up only one goal in three games, but he should be challenged by The Bears' offensive attack.

Yale's (4-4-1, 1-1-0 Ivy) only league win so far has been their 5-4 thriller at Harvard. Junior Neil Guilbert, who did not start for most of last season, scored two goals against the Crimson. His four goals and one assist this year make him the league's sixth leading scorer.

The key figures for Yale this year are junior forward Jac Gould, a first-team all-league selection last year who leads the Ivy League in overall scoring, and freshman midfielder Brian Lavin, the New England High School Player of the Year in 1998, who should also make a big contribution.

If the Bulldogs want to stay in the running for this year's title, they will have to beat league co-leader Dartmouth on the road this Sunday.

Cornell is suffering this year with a 1-2 Ivy League record and a 3-6 overall mark. They took a 1-0 lead into the 64th minute at Harvard this week, but gave up two late goals to lose the game, 2-1.

The Big Red's sole Ivy win was last month over Penn. Junior forward Chris Lukezic, who is fifth in the league in scoring with four goals and three assists, scored 11 minutes into the second half on a crossing pass from sophomore midfielder Richard Stimson.

The Cornell schedule will only get harder as it plays Dartmouth and Brown on consecutive weekends later this month.

Princeton lost eight seniors to graduation and their absence has been apparent this year. At 2-6-1, 1-2-0 Ivy, it is well off last year's .500 pace.

Princeton only win in league play was a 5-3 triumph over Cornell. Sophomore midfielder Kevin Griffin had two goals and an assist. Matt Behncke, sixth-leading scorer in the Ivies, and sophomore forward Matt Striebel each added another goal. The Tigers got out to a two-goal lead in the first 20 minutes, and traded goals with Cornell for the rest of the game. The five goals in the game matched Princeton's offensive output for the rest of the season in its entirety.

The Tigers host Harvard October 24, in a game the Crimson should have a good shot to win.

This season has not been kind to Pennsylvania. At 1-7-1, 0-3-1 Ivy, Penn rests for a second-consecutive year in the Ivy League cellar.

In four Ivy League contests, the Quakers have scored only one goal, and they have been outscored 13-3 overall. The one bright spot on this dismal year was a 1-0 home win over Temple. Reginald Brown, a junior midfielder from Maryland, scored the winning goal for the Quakers. M. SOCCER IVY STANDINGS OVERALL  IVY Team  W  L  T  PCT  W  L  T  PCT Dartmouth  7  1  0  .875  2  0  0  1.000 Brown  8  2  0  .800  2  0  0  1.000 Columbia  3  3  2  .500  1  0  1  .750 Yale  4  4  1  .500  1  1  0  .500 Harvard  3  4  1  .438  2  2  0  .500 Cornell  3  6  0  .333  1  2  0  .333 Princeton  2  6  1  .278  1  2  0  .333 Penn  1  7  1  .167  0  3  1  .125