Coaches' Corner...

TOM DENT: "The 1958 soccer season opened with a squad extremely low in substitute material. As long as we could go along without serious injury problems it seemed that this team might have success beyond expectations. However, this hope was doomed to disappointment. After winning our first two Ivy games we suffered the first injury blow by losing Mitch Engle, our center half back, in the Princeton game. This gap was difficult to fill, and because of a weakened defense the team fell behind its first potential.

"The Harvard game was lost in a close extra-time battle which saw Dartmouth denied two goals that would have settled things without the extra periods. With a little better break in that game we would have been heading the Ivy League at the time. With the return of several injured starters we were able to upset the powerful Amherst team, 2-1, which to that date had been undefeated. Because the team played hard without much substitution, we finished with five of our starting line injured badly enough to prevent their return for two weeks.

"At the time of writing we have our last Ivy game still to play against Cornell at Ithaca without the services of Jack Zipes, left half back, and Larry Holden, center forward. The league standings at present show Dartmouth still in contention with Harvard, Princeton and Cornell for at least tie honors, so this 'final game is an important one. [Cornell won, 4-0.] In summing up results to date, it is fair to say that this team has done well under the handicap of so few experienced substitutes. From the position of cellar occupants in the league last year we have stayed in the position of contender for honors going into the last game.

ELLIE NOYES: "At the opening of the season, the crosscountry team appeared to have the middle strength which, in late season, would improve to pull us through against our opponents. The opposing teams were much improved over those of the previous year. Foot injuries disabled lettermen Art Pritchard and Tom Lennox before the first meet. A succession of losses was terminated by an impressive win in the last meet on our home course, with junior Bob Becker leading the way.

"Despite the loss of two great competitors, Capt. Mike Nolen and Mike Kistler through graduation, we will have five lettermen returning next year, to be supported, or partially supplanted, by the current freshman team. Next year's squad has every promise of an outstanding season. Tom Laris, frosh captain, completely justified his high-school record. Leading every race from the gun, he won by decisive margins, broke the Franklin Park Course record, and in his only home appearance lowered Doug Brew's frosh course record by the incredible margin of i minute and 14 seconds.

"My incurable optimism notwithstanding, I was not fully prepared for the rest of the frosh squad. They reported in large numbers, trained with enthusiasm, 'ran very hungry,' won every meet. The team's finest quarter-hour was destined to come against Harvard In a meet accurately predicted to be very close, Laris wore down Harvard s hitherto undefeated captain and record-holder Mark Mullen to win and set a new record. Running together and forcing the pace, Nick Jennison and Dan Tompkins came in together, with Clark Billings and Dud Hallagan coming up to take the next two places from the leading Harvard runners.

"It seems appropriate to mention here that Tompkins, Billings, and Hallagan are all Dartmouth sons. Would it be inappropriate also to cite the member of the Class of 1930 who was Laris's high-school principal?"