Harvard will probably beat Princeton in varsity soccer today--but the game won't be very exciting. Chris Ohiri, the Crimson's high-scoring center-forward, will be out of action for a week with a groin pull worse than the one which has hampered him since the Amherst game.
But the squad has been practicing knowing that Ohiri wouldn't play and will be set for the Tigers at 10:30. Coach Bruce Munro has shifted captain Ted Wendell to center forward and will replace him at left inside with sophomore John Thorndike.
Undefeated in Ivy League play, the Crimson team looks better on paper than the Tigers, who sport only a 2-2-1 record in Ivy competition. But Harvard has not won over Princeton since 1957 and the Tigers might well spoil the varsity's chance for an unbeaten season and a bid to the NCAA championships in St. Louis later this month.
Most of Harvard's scoring this year has been by Ohiri, who tied the Ivy record of eight goals in a season last week against Penn. But even without him the Crimson squad trounced Columbia 4-0 earlier in the season. There should be no repetition of the sloppy play that cost the varsity a 3-2 loss at the hands of Williams, October 18.
A victory over Princeton is a must if Harvard is to maintain its slim edge over Brown in the Ivy race. Brown raised its record to 4-1 last week with a 1-0 win over the Tigers.
Judging from the Brown game, Princeton has a strong defense but has had trouble finding a scoring punch. The Tigers' passing and timing were ineffectual against Brown; only a defensive lapse gave the Bruins the win and Princeton its second Ivy defeat.
If the varsity beats the Tigers it can lose to either Brown or Yale and still tie for the Ivy title.
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