Dartmouth Freezes M. Soccer

The Harvard men's soccer team yesterday travelled to Hanover, N.H. or a make up of an Ivy League match. The Crimson's efforts, however, were spoiled, as Harvard fell to Dartmouth 4-2.

Harvard (6, 3, 3 3 0 Ivy) played well in the cold and wet conditions at Dartmouth, dominating throughout the first half, which ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Big Green struck first on a tally by forward Augie Lopez 17:53 into the contest. Retaliation in order, the Crimson evened the score on a goal by junior Richard Wilmot five minutes before the end of the half.

"In the first half, we were all over them," said captain Chris Wojcik. "We played really well. We were strong in the midfield; we just couldn't capitalize on our early opportunities."

It would come back to haunt the Crimson.

Scoring resumed halfway through the second half when Dartmouth exploded for two goals within 36 seconds. Midfielder Bobby Meyer connected on the first for Dartmouth, while forward Hunter paschall netted the second. The Big Green padded its advantage with its fourth and final score as Lopez netted his second score of the day at 81:56.

"Basically, we controlled the whole game, and they beat us over five minutes," said freshman Armando Petruccelli. "We played dominantly, but just couldn't score. We got frustrated and let up on D."

Petruccelli ended the scoring with a goal at 82:34, completing the 4-2 final.

"We played good soccer but it just wasn't effective," Wojcik said. "We dominated the tempo and flow, passed well and made good plays. The bottom line is that we just didn't finish."

"The frustration of this game is a summary of the season," Petruccelli said. "We have great practices, show up ready to play, but even when it clicks, something always seems to go wrong. We just can't put it together."

Though Harvard plays a "simple, knock-the-ball-around style," in the words of Petruccelli, the Crimson actually played better in the adverse conditions. Nor would the team attribute any mental lapses to the stresses of midterms.

"There were no problems with psychological preparation for the game," Wojcik said. "These guys are used to it. On game day, they know how to put other things out of their minds."

"There is no blame; it was no one's fault," Petruccelli said. "We just kept missing the net."

Harvard looks to finish strong in its final three games, beginning with a trip to Brown to tackle the league leaders. The Bears are undefeated in Ivy play, with only a non-league loss to Cal St. Fullerton marring their 12-1 record.

"We were eliminated from the Ivy League race after [the loss to] Princeton," Wojcik said. "We just want to play well and hopefully finish the season 3-0."

First Half

Dar-Lopez (Paschall), 17:63.

Har--(Kohler) 40:12.

Second Half

Dar--Meyer 67:32.

Dar-Paschall (Lopez)

Dar--Lopez Paschall

Har--Petruccelli 82:34

Saves: Har-- 1-1. Dupuis Har-- 3-3 6. Harvard  2 Dartmouth  4

Darmouth, 4-2 at Hanover, M.M. Harvard  1  1  --  4 Dartmouth  0  0  --  0

Darmouth, 4-2 at Hanover, M.M. Harvard  1  1  --  4 Dartmouth  0  0  --  0