Steve Locker may have a plan, but he also has his work cut out for him.

Here's just a few of the hurdles that the men's soccer team must overcome.

First problem: The Past.

The 1991 Crimson squad (7-7-1 overall, 3-3-1 Ivy) looked promising at the outset, but never caught fire. Just like the two previous years.

Unless Mike Getman was secretly drugging his players in order to produce mediocrity, some of the blame for their performance must fall upon themselves.

Second problem: The Schedule.

No team should have to face in a month the teams Harvard will face in a week.

The Crimson opens its season at traditionally-strong Columbia this Saturday, and then will host two nationally-ranked opponents: Connecticut Wednesday and Yale next Thursday.

Whew. One can get tired just writing about it.

Locker, however, isn't ready to dismiss his hope.

"We're definitely going to go after those games," said Locker, "You never know how a team is going to react to a situation like that."

Third problem: The Goal.

Veteran goalie Jamie Reilly is gone, and someone is going to have to fill his big shoes and gloves. Right now, that somebody figures to be senior Scott Salisbury.

Still, Harvard has a lot it can count on during the season to come. The sparkling play of senior Captain Jason Luzak, sophomore Pepper Brill and senior Juan Betancourt, are just three of the strongest returning veterans.

And Assistant Coach Jim Felix is convinced that Locker and "the guys" are going to get along great: "[Locker is] going to bring an exciting brand of soccer to Harvard. I think the team is really going to enjoy working with him."