At the very least, credit the Harvard men's soccer team with being good hosts.

After heavy rain gave Cornell an extra day in Cambridge, an outmatched Big Red hung around like last week's bubble gum before the Crimson pulled the plug with nine minutes remaining in a 2-1 win at Ohiri Field Sunday afternoon. CORNELL  1 HARVARD  2

Junior forward Will Hench's game-winner with 9:17 remaining capped a two-goal rally and gave Harvard (3-4-1, 2-2 Ivy) its third straight victory as Cornell (3-6, 1-2) lost its third of four and first to the Crimson since 1994.

"It was big because it still gives us a chance to win the Ivy League," Hench said. "If we had lost, we were pretty much out, but depending on how Brown and Dartmouth play, we could still win it at 5-2."

Freshman back James Hutcherson started the winning rally with a run up the left sideline, then flipped a short pass inside to classmate Nick Lenichek. Hutcherson then took Lenichek's return pass in the left corner and drove a low cross through the goal box.

Junior midfielder Armando Petruccelli let the cross bounce through the middle, and Hench trapped it on the right side of the box. Hench--who was named to this week's Ivy League Honor Roll--put a low line-drive shot on net, beating Cornell keeper Andrew Barton, who was glued to the near post.

The goal--Hench's second of the season--gave the Crimson its first lead of this sloppy match and was only the second of 11 shots on goal to fall.

"I wouldn't say we did a great job of finishing," Harvard Coach Steve Locker said. "We had a few chances that we didn't put away, but we're definitely moving in the right direction."

On a muddy pitch that slowed down the action, the Crimson managed to generate several quality scoring opportunities in the first half, but as has become characteristic, it had difficulty converting.

In the 22nd minute, Lenichek started an attack with a run up the left sideline, then slipped a ball through traffic into the box for freshman forward Marko Soldo, who was able to put a hard shot on net from 15 yards out only to see Barton deflect it away.

And in the 30th minute, captain Andrew Lundquist collected a loose ball in midfield and sent a long ball into the right corner for freshman forward Mike Peller, whose cross found freshman midfielder Joey Smolen in front of the net, but Smolen's header was high.

"If we had a guy to finish, we could have been up two-nil, and the other team would fold," Hench said. "Instead, it turned out to be a close game."

Harvard fanned on several such opportunities in the first, and limped into halftime down 1-0 off Cornell sophomore midfielder Richard Stimpson's fourth goal of the season.

Senior back Lee Williams was whistled for an illegal tackle, and on the ensuing free kick, Stimpson--the 1997 Ivy Rookie of the Year--took a touch pass from sophomore midfielder Adam Brown and drilled a groundball from the top of the penalty box.

Stimpson's shot bounced off a Crimson defender in front of the net and squirted past senior keeper Jordan Dupuis.

"We need to not put ourselves in trouble,"Locker said. "We gave up a stupid goal rightthere."