Lions Hold Soccer Team To Scoreless Tie in N.Y.

"If we can't beat those guys," Harvard soccer coach Bruce Munro observed yesterday, "it's going to be a rough season."

Munro's comment came just after the Crimson had battled to a scoreless tie with Columbia in a game which dispelled almost anyone's delusions that Harvard might win its fourth straight Ivy League title this year.

There's nothing disgraceful, of course, about a scoreless tie per so--but against Columbia it was a real humiliation. The Lions have not won an Ivy soccer game since 1962, and the only two experienced players on the team were injured yesterday.

Crimson fullback Alex Patton and half-back Lawrie Coburn suffered knee injuries in the contest, and ace right inside Fred Akuffo had leg trouble. Nonetheless, Harvard really didn't have an excuse. The weather was good. The field was good. The refereeing was good. But the Crimson was ineffectual.

"Unbeaten"

After a shaky first quarter, Harvard controlled the ball and got off a number of shots on the Lion net. Goalie Jon Newman stopped them all, but rarely did he have to use any sleight-of-hand to block a shot.

Twice in the game Crimson outside left Charlie Njoku made excellent cross passes in front of the goal, but no one was in the right place at the right time to head the ball in. That's the way it went all afternoon.

For Crimson soccer fans in need of statistical nourishment, one can point out that Harvard is still unbeaten this year--on paper, a better start than Chris Ohiri & Co. had last season.

But don't be fooled. Columbia is the doormat of the Ivy League, and when the Crimson starts meeting Ivy powerhouses like Brown...As Munro says, it's going to be a rough season.