The Harvard soccer team disposed of Princeton, 2-0, Saturday morning, clearing the way for the showdown with Brown here next weekend. Harvard and Brown are tied for first in Ivy play with identical records.
The main cause for worry against the offensively inept Tiger booters was that Princeton's defense might hold Harvard to a scoreless tie, as it held Dartmouth and Rutgers.
A sloppy first 20 minutes in which neither team could put together a scoring threat increased this fear, but Jim Saltonstall allayed it just before the first quarter ended.
Second-string right inside Bill Schaefer lobbed a 30-yard pass over the Princeton fullbacks to the Crimson center forward. Goalie Rowland Halstead came charging out of the nets as Saltonstall flicked the ball inside the right post from 12 yards out.
Harvard couldn't score again until midway through the fourth quarter. It was a solo effort by Lutz Hoeppner that put the game safely away.
The junior inside took the ball ten yards inside the midfield line and dribbled through the two Tigers who were guarding him. When he approached the penalty area, he right-footed a low liner that hooked past the diving goalie into the lower left corner of the goal.
Princeton got off five shots at Crimson goalie Richie Hammond, five more than it did while losing to Brown by the same score at Providence last week.
Harvard took 25 shots, most of them long drives by halfbacks and insides. Hoeppner, whose shot is dangerous from anywhere within 30 yards of the goal, came the closest with several bullets in the third-quarter, one of which was tipped over at the last second.
No Offense
No one has scored more than two goals against Princeton since the season's first game, a fact which is overshadowed by Princeton's own total of one goal in the six games.
Part of Harvard's failure to tally more was the change from its patented short-passing game. The Crimson players kicked long in their effort to beat the Tigers' four-fullback defense. It worked once for Schaefer, but interceptions and lack of control resulted the other times.
The Tigers also outhustled Harvard's first stringers, as practically every opponent has so far. The Crimson's superior skill usually outweighs this factor, but against Brown this Saturday everything will count.
The Princeton freshmen stunned the Yardlings, 3-0, also Saturday morning. In the event that kicked the weekend off Friday afternoon, the Harvard JV but-chered the Tigers, 1-0.
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Due Process