PHILADELPHIA, November 4--Penn's talented soccer team gave Harvard a well-aimed kick in the pants here this morning, but insead of revitalizing the sluggish Crimson the boot knocked Harvard out of serious title contention., 3-0. The Quakers opened a 2-0 lead in the first period, and the Crimson never came up with that extra effort needed to get back into the game.
Penn's first goal was attributable to luck and the weather, but the Quakers eliminated any cause for complaint with two undisputably earned tallies. The icebreaker came in the mud and slick left over from a pre-game rain.
High-scoring Quaker forward Roger Lorberbaum drove a hard shot on which Crimson goalie Jay Breese made a good initial stop. But as the Crimson junior dove over-anxiously for the rebound he accidentally, knocked the ball into the nets.
This fluke, three minutes into the game, was not taken too seriously, but the Quakers put together a more authentic depressor eleven minutes later.
The fast-breaking forward line evaded a tackle by Crimson captain Joe Gould at midfield and carried the ball down the left sideline with three crisp passes. The fourth was a center to sophomore inside Ken Rigden, whose clear shot from directly in front of Breese caught the left corner of the goal.
The Quakers' final goal was almost blocked, but by the clock not Harvard. Halfback Rett Sturman, who headed a ball past Navy's goaltender in Penn's stunning 2-1 upset two weeks ago, used his ahead deftly again. He reversed the direction of a ball from Lorberbaum, placing it over Breese into the far upper corner of the goal.
The score came at 21:59 of the third 22-minute period.
Harvard had several chances to score, but Penn's All-Ivy goalie, Ted Isaacson, was equal to every challenge. Harvard missed one good opportunity in the first quarter when right wing Gerry Montero laid a center across the penalty area. But center forward Ahmed Yehia was boxed in by two retreating fullbacks, and Isaacson beat left wing Scott Robertson to the ball by a half-step.
Inside Jaime Vargas broke with the ball in an even more promising play thirty seconds before the first half ended. From the edge of the penalty area he passed goalward for Yehia, but the quick-moving Isaacson arrived simultaneously with the Crimson forward and made the stop.
Robertson and Lutz Hoeppner got off other solid shots, but both were gathered in by Isaacson.
Harvard stole some of Penn's hustle in a third-quarter comeback bid, but the Crimson's short passes were often too short on the damp field and the Quakers' sthrong three-fullback defense, led by senior Steve Mazzetti, clogged the scoring area.
Penn's third goal fairly well decided the issue, however, and the fourth quarter provided a half-hearted anticlimax to the disappointing encounter.
Penn remains undefeated with a 6-0-3 record, including a 3-0-1 Ivy mark. The Quakers are not as overwhelming as Brown was last year, but they have the spirit, teamwork, and personnel to play with any team in the country--as their Navy victory and 1-1 tie with Brown indicate.
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