Since their 1977 NCAA men's soccer championship, the Hartwick Warriors have grown accustomed to winning.

Four straight NCAA bids, three consecutive New York State Regional titles and a history of winning seasons are the trademarks of the 'Wick soccer program, a program that has come to expect the best from its opponents.

Harvard men's soccer Coach Mike Getman knows that. And today at Ohiri Field he's prepared to show the Warriors that Harvard's best is better than anything Hartwick has to offer.

"Their record is not as good as it's been in earlier years," Getman said. "But we're not going to wait for them to make mistakes. We'll be prepared to play tough the whole 90 minutes."

Hartwick's 1986 season came to an abrupt end with a 2-0 loss to the Crimson in the NCAA semifinals at Ohiri Field last November. And the Warriors are still trying to get back on track.

Struggling to a 4-4-1 start, Hartwick has disappeared from the Soccer Association's rankings.

The graduation of All-American goalkeeper Mike Harrison (1.71 goals-against average) left a gaping hole in the 'Wick backfield. Freshman Raj Wakhale, who beat out two other rookies for the starting spot, is still adjusting to his role as Harrison's replacement.

The 'Wick, according to what Getman has heard from other coaches, is "a young team that has made some mistakes because they're inexperienced."

But Harvard (3-0-1) can't count Hartwick out. The Warrior team that made three straight trips to the NCAA semis isn't gone yet.

Seven starters from the 13-7-1 1986 squad return, including leading scorer and All-American Mark Mettrick in the midfield. Mettrick has three goals and an assist in Hartwick's first nine games, with one tally coming in Wednesday's 3-0 thrashing of Colgate.

Captain Carl Rees is Hartwick's current point leader, with five goals and one assist, followed by Mettrick and senior midfielder Terry Conaughton.

"Hartwick is a very good attacking team," Getman said. "Their strength is an ability to score a lot of goals very quickly."

Harvard sophomore David Kramer showed his speed on the attack in last Saturday's 8-0 blowout of Brandeis, scoring three goals in less than six minutes. Kramer, current scoring leader with four goals and an assist, will be back in the front field today, along with sophomore Nick D'Onofrio. 1986 leading scorer Derek Mills, who has sat out several games this season because of a knee injury, will continue to see limited action.

A Nice Price

"Derek will not start until he is fully fit," Getman said. "I'm pretty happy with his play in the last two games, but he's not yet 100 percent." Mills played the entire second half against the Judges, and netted his first two goals of the season.

Goal will become junior Stephen Hall's domain once again today, following a brief stint by junior Chad Reilly. Hall has a pair of shutouts and a 0.66 g.a.a. in three previous contests. Reilly took over last Saturday, earning the shutout.

In the backfield, sweeper and Captain Mark Pepper still suffers from a quadricep injury, and has yet to see more than a minute of action. Pepper is questionable for today's contest, though Getman said Wednesday was Pepper's "first day of practice with no pain."