In its last away game of the year, the varsity soccer team will seek to defend its first place status in the Ivy League against a strong Princeton team today. The contest is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.

A win today for the Crimson would give it a 3-0-1 record and put it in a commanding position in the Ivy League race, as an expected victory over Brown next Saturday would then assure the varsity of at least a tie for first place. The Tigers have a 2 and 2 record and for all intents and purposes are out of the race.

Princeton, however, is still a very good team and could easily upset the varsity today. Its only two losses of the season came at the hands of Cornell, 3 to 2, and Pennsylvania, 1 to 0. This last score is a very indicative one, as the Crimson had to play some of its best soccer of the year to tie Penn, 2 to 2. The fact that the Tigers were able to hold the Quakers to one goal speaks well for its defense and points to a low-scoring game today.

The Tigers' strength lies in its strong halfback line with Captain Fred Schrader at right half, Charlie Biddle at left, and Steve Vehslage in the center. This line has worked out very well for Princeton all year and was particularly effective in the Tigers' 5-0 rout of Dartmouth.

The varsity will not have to worry about Tom Baskett, the Tigers' center forward, who tied for the League lead in scoring last year, as he suffered a muscle pull this week and will not be able to start today. Bob Hicks, Princeton's leading scorer and outside left, along with Norwegian Erling Pytte, are expected to carry the brunt of their team's offense.

Another important injury, right fullback Pete Bower's broken leg, opens a serious hole in the Princeton defense. Tom Urbanick, one of the Ivy's best fullbacks, will start on the left, while Jim Gaither will open in the nets.

Moloy at Fullback

As for the Crimson, varsity coach Bruce Munro believes that "we came out of the fog against Penn." Whatever the case, the varsity played one of its best games of the year, and if it can hold this standard, it should be able to take Princeton today.

As was the case last Saturday, the key figure today will be the Crimson's right fullback and captain Floyd Moloy. If his ankle can hold up throughout the game, the varsity can put a very strong defense on the field: Moloy, Lanny Keyes, and goalie Tom Bagnoli.

If Moloy can play full-time, Munro will then be able to keep Charlie Steele at right halfback, rather than moving him back to fullback, where he is not as effective. The rest of the line is set, with Bill Rapp at center half and Marsh McCall on the left.

But to win, you have to score, and herein lies the varsity's continual dilemma. The Crimson, with its quantity of good linemen, has only tallied six times in three Ivy League games and has maintained only a slightly better record in non-League action. Against Penn, both of the varsity's goals were scored by Roger Tuckerman in the first four minutes of the first quarter and for the next 56 minutes of play, the Crimson was unable to penetrate the Quakers' strong defense.