It was the seniors who came up big for the Crimson yesterday, as the Harvard men's soccer team defeated the 11th-ranked B.U. Terriers at Ohiri Field, 2-1.

After giving up an early goal to the Terriers, it may have seemed as if the contest would be a replay of the Cornell game, but that wasn't the case.

The Crimson came out strong in the second half, with senior forward Kevin Silva scoring the equalizer off an assist by junior Tom McLaughlin, less than five minutes into the half.

Led by sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Dupuis, who chalked up nine saves, the defense held B.U. scoreless for the rest of the game. Dupuis continued his solid play in place of senior Peter Albers.

The highlight of the contest came with only two minutes left--senior forward Richard Wilmot scored the winning goal off another timely assist from McLaughlin, bringing the emotional crowd to its feet.

At the start of the game, however, Harvard fans had little to cheer about. Only three minutes into the game, B.U.'s Nick Bone sent a hard shot into the net, and the Crimson couldn't seem to find its rhythm.

Harvard played hard, though, and neither team really dominated the bulk of the first half--that is, until the final few minutes when McLaughlin sent a rocket just inches over the crossbar from 18 yards out.

This seemed to give the Harvard players an emotional lift going into the second half, and the play was much more aggressive.

Within five minutes of the whistle, Kevin Silva was able to capitalize on a feed from McLaughlin to tie the score at 1-1.

To call the second half intense would be an understatement; both sides pulled out everything they had on offense.

But it was the Crimson backfield, with strong play by senior T.J. Carella and Dupuis, that stood firm in the face of some very close calls.

"The defense was incredible," McLaughlin said. "We've got some awesome players in the back and it just helps us out a lot."

With two minutes left on the clock, freshman Paul Cantagallo came up with a spectacular block in the penalty area, sending the offense down the field, where senior Rich Wilmot came up with a brilliant goal off the assist from McLaughlin.

It turned out to be the game winner, as the Crimson defense played keep-away in the closing seconds.

"We didn't fall apart," Wilmot said. "After losing the first Ivy (1-3, Cornell) we had to come through and we did. To beat the number 11 team in the country is huge for us."

As far as McLaughlin was concerned, it was a matter of team spirit.

"We showed a lot of heart out there," the junior forward said. "We fought tooth and nail down a goal and came through. That was a big improvement for us, because we had problems against Cornell when we gave up an early goal."

The ultimate goal for the team was clear, despite the celebration of the moment.

"We really have to keep the momentum going into the thick of the season," game-winner Wilmot said.

If the Crimson can continue to play like this, it shouldn't be too difficult. B.U.  1 Harvard  2

HARVARD, 2-1 at Cambridge, MA. B.U.  1  0  --  1 Harvard  0  2  --  2

First Half

B.U.--Bone (Sugard, Dalen) 3:06.

Second Half

Har--Silva (McLaughlin) 50:14.

Har--Wilmot (McLaughlin) 88:52.

Saves:B.U.--Murphy 2; Har--Dupuis 9.