The Harvard ultimate frisbee team--minus three starters--was eliminated from the Eastern regional tournament Saturday after losing its first two matches. In freezing and windy November weather, the disc flingers lost a close match to Central Connecticut, 13-11, and suffered a humiliating 13-2 defeat to UMass in the second game of the tournament, which took place in Amherst.

Crimson co-captain Tom Baker said that though the team and "especially co-captain Jon Epstein played excellently throughout the competition," the absence of three of its starters "definitely affected the outcome of the games." Simon Long went to India, while Bennett Goldberg and Charlie Bliss were with their girl friends, Baker added.

Epstein added, "It's too bad they weren't there. They're key players, but at least we'll have them back in the spring."

Last weekend, Harvard qualified for the regionals by placing third at the sectionals at the University of Rhode Island, losing only to the first-place team in the tournament. Sixteen teams competed at the regional tournament this weekend, with eight--including Harvard--eliminated Saturday. Yesterday, the remaining teams played for a spot in the national tournament, set for Austin, Texas, over Thanksgiving.

Harvard was the only college team to qualify for the regionals and "that was quite an honor," Epstein said. "It's too bad we didn't do better and show how good we really are," Baker added.