The Harvard men's soccer team is good.

How good? Really good.

So good that it's won eight straight contests. So, good, that of the top 10 teams in the nation, it is the only undefeated team. So good that it's ranked fifth in the nation.

So good that it can afford to play real bad. It doesn't matter--the team finds a way to win.

Yesterday in Amherst, the really good Crimson team played a not-so-great game of soccer. But Harvard still came home with a 2-1 win over UMass.

"We're a good enough team that when we have a bad performance we still win," Harvard Coach Mike Getman said.

A bumpy field, a bouncy ball, several sets of "bus legs" and an unseasonably hot day combined to slow down the usually explosive Crimson (11-0-2).

"We were sluggish," junior back Louis Lyons said. "We were misplaying balls, not making sharp passes."

The Minutemen jumped out to an early 1-0 without having to take a shot. UMass took a free kick deep on the left side which caused a scramble in front of the Harvard goal. In the confusion, the ball deflected off a Crimson player and into the net.

"That goal was not a goal," Getman said. "There was a clear foul against Stephen Hall as he tried to play the ball. But for whatever reason, [the official] decided to count it."

"Stephen got decked," sophomore forward David Kramer said.

Goal or no goal, it was early in the game, and the Crimson trailed, 1-0.

But the booters have been there before. Often.

"It's been a typical situation," Lyons admitted.

And Harvard responded in its usual fashion--it battled back.