As usual, the Harvard-Brown soccer game this year will decide first place in the Ivy League.

For the past four years the winner of the Harvard-Brown contest has finished in at least a tie for the title. Both teams go into Saturday's game with identical records of five wins and no losses in Ivy play.

In action last week, Brown defeated Cornell, 6-0, to set up this week's showdown. Columbia stayed close behind in second with a narrow 2-1 win over Dartmouth, and Penn and Yale fought to a 2-2 tie.

Last year the Bruins took the Harvard game 6-1, and went on to the title and a perfect season. The following week Harvard dropped a sad 6-3 decision to Yale to fall into a fourth place finish.

In Cambridge two years ago, Brown won a tie for first by edging Harvard 2-1. The loss pushed the Crimson into a third place finish.

Harvard fared better in a thriller the year before. After one early season loss, Harvard beat the Bruins 1-0, on a last period goal headed in by Chris Ohiri. Because of that win, the booters ended the season in a first place tie with Brown.

In '62, the two teams went into the game tied for first. The Crimson won 1-0 on an Ohiri score, and went on to beat Yale for a first place tie with Penn.

The pattern was different in 1961. Brown pinned the season's only loss on the Crimson by a 5-0 margin. But Harvard roader back the next week to overcome Yale and take the title despite Brown's win.

This year, though, a win over Brown is a must for Harvard's championship hopes. The booters are also out to avenge last year's embarrassment in Providence.

A pouring rain bogged down Harvard's short passing attack. Missing passes and shooting wide of the net, the Crimson could manage only one goal, on a penalty kick by Andy Kydes in the second quarter.

But at the time Kydes had scored, the Bruins already held a 5-0 lead. Slamming long bombs over the heads of the Harvard defense, Brown was able to score easily throughout the game. The sixth score in the third quarter was just frosting on a one-sided victory.

Only one week remains after the Harvard-Brown match. Brown will finish its season against third-place Columbia, and Harvard will face Yale.