Hospitality, Hoosier-Style

It was not your average Eastern soccer game, but then again, the Harvard men's soccer team wasn't in the East any longer.

When the Crimson set foot in Indiana's Bill Armstrong Stadium, it was confronted by cheerleaders (male and female), the Indiana Marching Band (100 strong), a three-tier press box and bleachers several stories higher than can be found at Ohiri Field.

But even with its electronic scoreboard flashing results from NFL games in progress, the field didn't quite measure up to the home turf, according to sophomore Brian Enge.

The Hoosiers, however, lived up to expectations and more--trouncing the Crimson, 7-2, with a dominating offensive attack.

There is one positive footnote to the game-Harvard is the only team to score two goals off seventh-ranked Indiana this season. Even Virginia, the top team in the nation, could only nail one against the Hoosiers.

Service With a Smile: Hoosier hospitality started long before the Crimson took to the soccer field. The team was met at Indianapolis International Airport by a pair of female IU undergrads--dressed in bright red blazers adorned with Indiana pins--whose jobs as athletic "support staff" include the task of picking up visiting teams at the airport.

While teams which visit Harvard face the unenviable challenge of navigating Harvard Square traffic, the Crimson was shuttled straight to its hotel door.

Water, Anyone?: Junior Nick Gates got a little thirsty in the second half of last Wednesday's game against Hartford, so Getman tossed a water bottle out to him on the field.

But Gates wasn't looking for a little fast refreshment--he kept the bottle and carried it around the field with him.

Hartford Coach Doug Orr, not much pleased by Gates' toting of a foreign object around Ohiri, yelled to the refs to remove the bottle.

But Gates had other plans--he offered a drink to his Hartford defender, who accepted gratefully and took a few swigs at midfield.

Leaders of the Pack: With a goal apiece on Sunday, senior forwards Derek Mills and Nick D'Onofrio moved into a tie for first in the Crimson scoring race. Mills, who assisted D'Onofrio's goal and scored a penalty kick against Hartford Wednesday, picked up five points on the week to bring his season scoring total to seven.

Mills has also proven to be dangerous in his new role as Harvard's cornerkick man, setting up two of the Crimson's four goals in the past week.

D'Onofrio, meanwhile, is Harvard's leading goal-scorer with three.