The Harvard men's golf team advanced to the ECAC Championship Tournament by winning the qualifying match yesterday at Middlebury.

In its second tournament of the season, Harvard finished first in the 10-team field, narrowly beating Dartmouth by one point. The Crimson, the Big Green and Salem State all qualified for the championships, which will be held at Colgate Oct. 10 and 11.

In addition, junior co-captain Matthew Dost finished first in the individual competition. Dost shot a 36, one over par, and won the playoff against Salem State's top golfer.

"Parring the playoff hole under pressure-packed conditions in bad weather shows what kind of mettle he has as a golfer," junior co-captain Kaj Vazales said of his teammate.

Harvard heads to Amherst Sunday for its biggest tournament of the fall season - the Toski Invitational hosted by Amherst College. All of the top college golf teams will be there, and Dost knows he will have to repeat yesterday's performance to give the Crimson a chance to win.

"Advancing to the ECAC's is a huge momentum-builder for us heading into our last two tournaments of the fall," Vazales said.

--ZEVI M. GUTFREUND