PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island--On a field that looked disconcertingly similar to the ground above an overflowing septic tank, the Crimson Soccer J.V.s played valiantly before falling to Brown by a 2-0 score here yesterday.

Both teams adapted well to the playing conditions, avoiding short passes which would have stopped dead in the mud and centering their attack around long boots either to the wings or into the penalty area.

The toughest foe the Crimson has faced thus far this year, Brown first converted these tactics into a goal. They scored at the 11th minute of the first half when Geoff Elliot headed a 40-yard kick from midfield to Ted Framalopolous who pushed the ball past Harvard goalie Dave Balton as he tried vainly to swim over to the left of the goal in time to stop the ball.

Neither team dominated during the remainder of the first half as the ball moved regularly from end to end. The initial 45 minutes finished in typical fashion with Elliot hitting the left post for Brown and Gerard Hall lifting a shot over the cross bar for Harvard, all within the last minute of play.

The crisp pace of the game slowed somewhat in the second stanza as the players' legs grew heavy with tramping through the soft, thick mud.

After a second Brown goal with only a minute gone in the second half, Harvard spent the rest of the game trying to avoid a shutout. However, Brown goalie Will Center foiled their attempts, punching two shots out of the goal, gathering in blasts above his head and to his lower left, and courageously coming out of his net to block a breakaway shot six inches after it left the foot of the Crimson's Gerard Hall.

Despite the loss, several Harvard backs played excellent soccer in perhaps the best performance of the season for the J.V. team. With luck, the improving J.V.s, who have played their last three battles on rainsoaked fields, will someday get an opportunity to exhibit their skills on a field that has been flushed dry.