LACROSSE

With five wins to its credit and only a 10-2 shalacking at the hands of Exeter on the debit side, the freshman lacrosse team has done pretty well for itself this spring.

So far, the team has chalked up wins over Deerfield Academy, an always strong prop school power, M.I.T., Brown, Tufts, and Holy Cross.

Unfortunately, however, the four remaining opponents--Gov. Dummer Academy, Dartmouth, Andover, and Yale--will probably offer the Yardlings their toughest competition all season and may add a few more minus signs to the balance book. Andover and Yale especially promise to challenge the team's solvency.

A large part of the responsibility for sustaining the team's winning ways lies with the defense--undoubtedly the strongest segment of the team.

Last Saturday against Holy Cross, the team allowed the Crusaders 11 shots at the Crimson goal and only one of those was able to get by standout goalie and captain Robert Norton. Meanwhile, the Yardlings scored 11 tallies of their own to walk off with the contest 11-1.

The slaughter may just turn out to be a shadow victory, however. Tom Engle, probably the team's best midfielder, broke his collar bone in the second half. Before he was injured, Engle scored three goals, and in the game against Brown he put in the winning point. The team will now have to do without his services.

The loss may not be so painful with the return yesterday of attackman Kieth Hutchison to the lineup. According to coach Dick Lentz, Hutchison seemed to be coming alive when he was injured after the squad's third game. Now, his addition may bolster the attack as it enters its toughest tests.

For defense the team relies on four veterans who got plenty of experience in prep school. Dick Loomis, Dave Davis, Bliss Forbush, and Steve Neubert have provided pretty good protection for goalie Norton all year. Last week, Lentz even moved Neubert up to attack to add more aggression to the offense.

One problem which freshman lacrosse always faces is assimilating boys who have never picked up a lacrosse stick before they came to Harvard. Ths year, of the approximately 50 hopefuls that tried out for the squad, almost half were novices. Most of them departed long ago.

A few who remained, however, have helped the team and, with more experience, might just make some eventual contributions to the varsity. Pat Conway at midfield may be just one of those sleepers. According to Lentz, he has potential and someday might be a "really fine lacrosse player." As with most newcomers, Conway's main problem is stickhandling.