PRINCETON--The Harvard men's soccer team had high hopes for an upset before its matchup with Ivy leader Princeton here last night at Lourie-Love Field.

After a four-love Tiger demolition, the Crimson (3-5-1 overall 1-3 Ivy) would love to forget it ever made the trip. Harvard just could not control Princeton's finely tuned offense.

The landslide formally crushed Harvard's already faint hopes for an Ivy title, which Princeton (7-5, 5-1) can clinch with a victory over Columbia next Saturday in New York.

The Tiger machine was led by midfielders Jim Barlow and Joe Thieman. Princeton's passing was crisp and its shooting was sharp. And Harvard could not capitalize on its opportunities.

"They finished the chances that they created," Harvard Coach Mike Getman said. "Their forwards finished better than ours."

Junior back Tim Foley provided all the offense the Tigers would need with a goal four minutes into the game. Foley took the ball out of a scramble and nailed it past sprawling Harvard goaltender Jamie Reilly.

The Crimson was by no means bowing out of the contest that early. But the Tiger offense proved too strong. Midway through the half, Princeton forward David Hocher broke right and beat a frustrated Reilly to the near corner for a 2-0 advantage.

"If we could have avoided letting the goals in early, we could have played our style of game," Harvard halfback Don Daigle said. "We had to take chances on D. When you play two-thirds of the game taking chances, you're going to get burned.

The Crimson players kept their heads up and tried to battle back. A yellow card awarded to Captain John Shue seemed to fire up the squad, but the comeback petered out before Harvard could get on the board.

"When it was 2-0, our guys thought the next goal would decide who would win it," Getman said. "Unfortunately, they got the next goal."

Thirteen minutes into the second half, Princeton slammed the door on the Crimson with junior midfielder Matt Reece's volley into the upper corner.

Once again, Harvard refused to roll over. But with three minutes left in the contest, Thieman added insult to infamy with a one-on-one tally past backup netminder Matt Wilcox.

"Harvard kept playing. They pressured us to the end," Princeton Coach Bob Bradley said. "It's a real credit to their guys."

Harvard looks to bounce back tomorrow when it travels to Philadelphia to play Penn. Right now, the Crimson may not be looking forward to a trip to the City of Brotherly Love.

Tigers, 4-0 in Princeton, N.J. HARVARD  0-0--0 Princeton  2-2--4

Goals: 1, P, Tim Foley, 3:56; 2, P, David Hocher, 29:48; 3, P, Matt Reece, 58:38; 4, P, Joe Thieman, 87:25.

Saves: H, Jamie Reilly 7; Matt Wilcox 1; Tom McCabe 5.

Corner Kicks: Harvard 3; Princeton 8.

Shots: Harvard 10; Princeton 22.