For three quarters and the better part of the fourth yesterday, the Harvard varsity soccer players played, as one eloquent observer put it, as if their lunches had been drugged. But, with six minutes to play in the final period, the Crimson attack exploded--three goals worth--to run away with a 3-1 decision over Dartmouth at Cumnock Field.

It was cold, and the field was slippery, and the Harvard squad might have been trying just a little too hard in order to help out goalie Jay Breese, making his first start for the varsity.

But whatever it was, Coach Bruce Munro's booters matched the visitors in uniinspired soccer until the fourth-quarter outburst.

Harvard muffed several opportunities to score in the first half. Senior Bill Schaffer--who split the center-forward duties with Ahmed Yehia--was robbed on three occasions in the first quarter on good saves by the Green goalie.

The Crimson came closest to scoring early in the second period. Right wing Gerry Montero, who turned in another strong showing yesterday, faked past his defender on the right side, and blasted a shot goalward, which hit the top crossbar and bounced over.

Breese looked good in the first half, leaping high on four occasions to either bat away or snare enemy shots. But the junior goaltender--who seemed nervous, and understandably so, all afternoon--lost his footing in the opening minutes of the third quarter to let the Indians get on the scoreboard.

Flukey Goal

It was a flukey goal. Dartmouth got a 30-foot direct kick on the right side of the field, and the ball was booted straight at the nets. An unidentified Indian jumped high to head the ball, which Breese batted away, but then, Peter Linton saw Breese slip for a second and headed the rebound past him into the corner of the goal.

And so it went--the play getting sloppier, the time getting shorter for the Crimson to escape embarrassing defeat. Finally, with just over six minutes to go, Scott Robertson's shot was cleared by the Green, but right into the waiting foot of Jaime Vargas.

The Columbian rammed the ball back toward the goal, and Yehia kicked it in to tie the game at 1-all.

With the tempo now in Harvard's favor, Yehia took a 25-footer from outside, which hit the crossbar and bounced back--this time toward Montero, who kicked the ball home for the tie-breaker.

Vargas cemented the win with his eighth goal of the year--tying him with Yehia for the team lead--just before the gun.

The Crimson, who are now tied for the Ivy lead with a 2-0-1 record (5-1-1 overall), play the alumni this morning at 10:30 at Cumnock Field.