Foremost among the rookies is Will Kohler, a forward Locker said is "the most talented we've seen in a long time."

Locker said that Kohler turned down chances to play for perennial powers and national champions Virginia and Duke to join the ranks here in Cambridge.

Kohler is one of four Crimson rookies from the Philadelphia area who played with each other on club teams and who will help Harvard survive in an increasingly competitive Ivy league.

Defender Tariq Jawad, defensive midfielder T.J. Carella, and midfielder Kevin Silva are the other three freshman sensations from Pennsylvania.

With Kohler up front and last year's second leading scorers junior forward Derek Swaim and sophomore midfielder Chris Wojcik, the loss of Luzak and forward Juan Betancourt '93 to graduation may not hurt all that much. Swaim and Wojcik each tallied 14 points last year and played large roles in the team's early heroics.

Sophomore Taadeh Sheriff returns to the midfield with Bradley and Wojcik, while junior sweeper Craig Brill, senior Ping Li, Jawad and Tom Marcotullio will lead the backs into action.

Untested goalie sophomore Ned Carlson will guard the net for the Crimson, but Locker said Carlson has looked good in preseason.

Around The Ancient Eight

Six of the Ivy league's eight teams have a shot at the title this year, according to Locker.

"There's great parity in the league this season," Locker said.

Last year's Ivy champion Dartmouth and runner up Princeton are the preseason favorites, but Locker said that every other team except for Pennsylvania and Cornell has a legitimate chance at the Ancient Eight crown and an NCAA tournament appearance. Locker also said Dartmouth is a very good team and will be looking for respect that it believes it has been denied.

And when does the Crimson face the Big Green? October 30 in Hanover, N.H. Of course, Harvard has to get through the rest of the month first, and, like Jackson, make that time of the year its time of the year.