It was a laugher but nobody laughed very hard. It was clear that one team was better than the other, though the score did not show how much better. The Harvard men's soccer team defeated an outclassed Tufts side 3-1, but the difference could easily have been much more.

Harvard dominated play from the opening whistle until the final horn, rarely allowing the ball to penetrate into its own end. The Crimson passes were crisp, and on their mark, and the shots were on the goal, but only three balls found their way into the net.

John Catliff opened up the Harvard scoring at 30:49 of the first half on a blast from 15 yards with an assist from freshman Paul Nicholas and the half ended 1-0. The shots told the story, the Crimson taking 19: the Jumbos only three. Harvard consistently beat Tufts to balls and dribbled around Jumbo defenders. It was only the Crimson's bad luck that kept the game close, as Captain Leo Lanzillo and Catliff both hit the post in the closing minutes of the period.

Harvard stormed out in the second stanza and quickly increased its lead at 62:11 as forward Lane Kenworthy sidestepped a Jumbo back along the endline and chipped the ball into the goal-mouth where Nicholas neatly headed it into the corner of the goal. Only 2:16 later, Catliff tallied for the second time on a direct kick from the 20-yard line and Harvard had a comfortable 3-0 lead.

But what might have become a runaway stayed in doubt, as Harvard lost its momentum and permitted Tufts to penetrate for the first time all game.

With just over seven minutes to play, Mark Busa brought his team within two. The Jumbo forward tallied on a blast from ten yards out after a scramble in front of the Harvard goal.

The final score did not reflect the degree by which Harvard outran, outpassed, and outplayed it opponent. Crimson Coach Jape Shattuck was pleased with what he called "the good, consistent play" of his squad. "We had three off the woodwork [goalpost], so the game wasn't as close as it looked," he said.

Shattuck added that his forces "did not betray their own level of soccer against an inferior opponent...and didn't let down or become sloppy."

The Crimson coach substituted freely in the second half and cited the team's consistent level of play as evidence that "there is not a lot of difference between the first [11] and the other members of the squad." "We have 16 good soccer players," he added.

THE NOTEBOOK: The Crimson will need to be on top of its game on Saturday when it takes on Hartwick, a team Shattuck calls "one of the best in the country" ...Harvard outshot Tufts, 29-7. Harvard goalies, Phil Coogan and Matt Ginsburg made only three saves, while the Jumbo netminder was forced tomake 14. Cornerkicks were 6-2 in favor of Harvard. Harvard is 4-0-1 in the Greater Boston League and has already won a share of the league championship.