One more loss will just about finish the Harvard soccer team in the race for the Ivy League championship. The same applies to Princeton. Even a tie in today's game at Princeton would be near fatal for both squads.
The two teams, both loaded with sophomores and juniors, have 2-1-1 league records and are involved in a four-way tie for second place in the league, one point behind Dartmouth (3-1).
Both teams have shown the same deficiency all year: a lack of scoring punch that has offset good passing games and fairly sturdy defenses. Harvard was held to a scoreless tie by Columbia, then beaten by Dartmouth, 3-2, after missing a dozen good shots in the last 20 minutes of play.
Princeton fell apart after winning its first two games from Columbia and Dartmouth (the latter when a Dartmouth fullback kicked in a goal against his own team). The Tigers blew leads twice to tie Penn 2-2. They collapsed completely on offense and lost to Brown, 2-0.
While Princeton's attack has sputtered, Harvard's has been coming around lately. A 5-2 win over Penn last Saturday featured the unveiling of a new scoring threat: sophomore left wing Charlle Njoku, who became the first Ivy Leaguer of the season to score three goals in a game.
If Njoku plays up to last week's form, Harvard may manage against Princeton the balanced attack that has been missing all year.
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SCIENTIFIC WARRANT