The Harvard soccer team, riding a title wave generated by last week's 6-1 win over Dartmouth, faces a stiff challenge against a well-balanced Penn squad in Philadelphia today. The two teams are currently tied for second place in the tight Ivy League race with 2-1 records, and one more loan for either will mean an end to competition.

Harvard went into last week's contest with Dartmouth with a handful of questions. Today there will be only one: can the Crimson match its performance in the first 25 minutes of the Dartmouth game, when it scored four times and didn't permit a single Indian shot on goal?

The Harvard starting lineup will probably be the same combination that proved so devastating last week. Injured center half Chuck Okigwe, out of action since the Cornell game, has not recovered as fast as was originally predicted, and his place will be taken again by Fred Akuffo.

Harvard will be strengthened in the goal, however, by the return to action of Rich Hammond, who was also hurt at Cornell. Coach Bruce Munro may or may not start Hammond in place of fast-developing Norris Childs, but in any event the Crimson will once again have depth at the goalie position.

Penn should prove to be a difficult obstacle in Harvard's title run. Last week the Quakers easily beat Princeton, 4 to 2, and early in the season they edged Dartmouth, 1 to 0, at Hanover. Penn's only loss came in the last four minutes of its game against Brown, the currently undefeated Ivy leader.

Another obstacle for Harvard is Penn's home field, which is much smaller than the Business School Field to which Harvard's play is patterned.

If the Crimson can shorten its passes and conquer the Quakers, it will have a good shot at the Ivy League title.

Brown, whose wins were all by one goal margins, has three games on the road and a contest at home against the Crimson standing between it and a repeat of last year's championship.