Harvard men's soccer Coach Mike Getman had to enjoy the action on Steinbrenner Field Wednesday, but the news from the doctor's office was not so good.

The Crimson looked strong in its season opener, dominating an over-matched MIT squad from the opening kickoff to the final whistle en route to a 4-0 rout of the Engineers.

But earlier in the day, Getman received word that his top scorer last season, Captain Paul Baverstock, will miss the entire regular season because of damage to his left knee. Baverstock, injured in the Crimson's preseason scrimmage against a British all-star team, had his leg immobilized in a cast yesterday.

Even without its fallen leader, Harvard attacked from the outset, with substitute sweeper John Shue scoring the game-winner on a corner kick 16 minutes into the contest. Senior center forward Derek Mills swung the kick past MIT netminder Jack Olson. The loose ball was deflected by senior striker Nick D'Onofrio to Shue, who pounded a volley into the back of the open net for a 1-0 lead.

Good Knight

Late in the half, Harvard struck again, from an unlikely source--exhausted midfielder Richard Knight.

Knight had just returned to the team this week after skipping last season to concentrate on academics. Getman had expected to use the senior halfback--who had only a few days of practice under his belt--for no more than 15 minutes, but Baverstock's injury pressed Knight into extended duty.

Indeed, Knight was visibly tired before he received a Brian Enge pass at the top of the box. But he revived in a hurry. He paused, watched Enge draw a defender away with a run down the sideline, turned and drilled a low shot into the corner of the net for the insurance goal that sealed the victory.

The senior halfback actually played most of the game despite his lack of preseason practices. So much for 15 minutes.

"It seemed more like 200 minutes," Knight said afterwards. "Obviously, I could do with a bit more running. But we're knocking the ball around real well."

The two squads followed a similar script in the second stanza, as the Engineers equalled their opening-period barrage of two shots on goal. Harvard added two more tallies for the final margin--one on a crisp passing play from Mills to Enge to D'Onofrio, the other on a nifty move past two defenders and subsequent blast into the upper corner by reserve midfielder Don "Day-Glo" Daigle to close out the scoring.

Mills Goes Down

Getman had a scare with 13 minutes to play, when the injury plagued Mills, starting his first season opener since joining the Crimson in 1986, went down after an MIT defender hacked him from behind.

But the injury was not serious, and Mills said he would play tomorrow when Harvard travels to New York to take on Columbia.

"This was my first [healthy] preseason," Mills said. "I'm physically fit now, but I have to get match fitness. That will come with a few weeks."

Getman--who had said earlier that he would rather lose to the Engineers than repeat Harvard's punchless 1-0 victories over MIT in 1987 and 1988--was understandably pleased with his team's offensive production.

"This was much better than the last few years," Getman said. "We played well, but, more importantly, we finished well. The years we've fielded strong teams we haven't always dominated play, but we've always finished well."

Unfortunately, Baverstock's season is already finished, and Harvard must somehow fill the void left by the loss of the anchor of its midfield.

"We're all disappointed for Paul," Getman said. "He's worked so hard. He's not just our captain, but our leader. We were all looking for him to have a great year."

Sophomore Lenny Ilkhanoff started in Baverstock's place, and freshmen Peter Cochrane and Jason Luzak could step in to shore up the halfback line.

But, as Mills pointed out, "It will be very difficult to replace Paul. We can't just get another Paul."

Replace him they must, or the high-flying Crimson could be finished off.

THE NOTEBOOK: The Crimson proudly sports its most seasoned front line in years, with eleven years of varsity experience between seniors Kramer, Mills and D'Onofrio. But thanks to Shue's goal and two assists by sophomore Brian Enge, the back equalled the strikers in the scoring column...The Crimson's untested goalkeeping tandem of sophomores Scott Salisbury and Jamie Reilly remained untested against the Engineer's four-shot onslaught. Each made two easy saves.

Crimson, 4-0 at Steinbrenner Field MIT  0-0--0 Harvard  2-2--4

Goals--H, John Shue (Nick D'Onofrio), 16:17; H, Richard Knight (Brian Enge), 43:56; H, D'Onofrio (Enge, Derek Mills), 46:31; Don Daigle (unassisted), 82:22.

Saves--MIT, Jack Olson 10; H, Scott Salisbury 2, Jamie Reilly 2.