Eagles Dare, Laxmen Laugh

It looked pretty easy before the game, and it seemed even easier during the game, but neverthless, it was another victory that the Harvard lacrosse team needed in its not-so-easy quest for a berth in the post-season NCAA tourney.

When the final returns came in from the Business School Field yesterday afternoon it was Harvard 23, Boston College 5, a figure which will tell you little besides the fact that the Eagles are a little wanting when white balls replace pucks and there's no zamboni between periods.

What the football-type final score does mean is that the laxmen raised their record to 8-3, solidified their position as the number-one team in New England, and need wins against UMass, Dartmouth, and Williams in their final three games to gain enough leverage for a date with the Maryland and upstate New York squads at the NCAAs later this month.

But what of the game? Ah, yes, the game.

Head manager Joe Hoffman said before the ensuing debacle that, "This is going to be one for the scorebooks." And the authors were abundant.

Chief contributors to the box score were the standard studs, attackmates Mike Faught and Steve Martin. They fast broke B.C. into intensive care, and when Coach Bob Scalise mercifully called an end to their two-man clinic midway through the third quarter, Harvard's version of Cowens-to-Havlicek had cooked for 16 points between them.

Faught brought his season scoring total to 55, as the junior gunner notched eight goals and an assist on the day. Martin unselfishly passed off to Faught, but made sure to protect his team scoring lead with a two-goal, five-assist effot.

One-Two Punch

"21" and "12" (Faught and Martin's numbers) kept rolling up a lot, but probably their prettiest goal of the day came at 9:15 of the second period to put the Crimson ahead 11-3.

Junior midfielder Gordie Nelson rode the ball deep into the B.C. zone and fired over to Martin on the left side of the crease. Martin was one-on-one with the goalie, but held his shot long enough to draw the Eagle netminder over. By this time all eyes were on the clever senior as he whistled the ball over to Faught for the open-net quickstick.

Martin had his moment in the first quarter, though, when the Crimson opened fire for the first six goals of the game. On the tally that made it 6-0 (by Faught). Martin's assist on the play moved him into second place on the all-time scoring parade for Harvard lacrossee with 144 points, just ahead of Dave Bohn '61 but far behind head honcho Grady Watts '62.

Harvard had an 8-2 lead by the end of the first quarter, as the Eagles' haphazard offense and horror-show defense virtually handed the game to the Crimson. It was the 15-4 at halftime, 21-4 in a scoreless third quarter for B.C., and then two fourth-quarter goals by the Crimson's Mike Ward rounded things out.

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LAX LOOSELEAF: Faught now has 48 goals on the season, only ten shy of the school record held by Dexter Lewis '55. He had eight points (7-1) by the end of the first half.

Aside from Faught, Martin and Ward, the Crimson got two-goal games yesterday from Billy Forbush, Peter Predun, Hank Leopold and Nelson.

Jamie Egasti won only 11 of 17 faceoffs yesterday, and strangely would not submit to a breathalizer test after the game.