Laxmen Send Panthers Packing for N.Y., 8-3

"I didn't travel five hours for this," Adelphi Coach Paul Doherty yelled in the middle of Saturday's Harvard-Adelphi lacrosse game.

Doherty was definitely not happy with what was going on.

The Harvard men's lacrosse team played brillantly and trounced the Panthers, 8-3, in front of 140 spectators.

The early morning rain had threatened to turn Ohiri Field into a swamp. But right around game time the sun came out, and it was Adelphi (2-4) which got swamped.

The game began physically and stayed that way until the end. Indeed, it seemed that five minutes could not pass without a yellow penalty flag sailing into the air.

Adelphi scored first, at 5:22 of the first quarter, when Jeff Reh brought the ball around from behind the goal. But for the next 45 minutes, Harvard goalie Michael Bergmann blocked every shot.

"It was a big win for us," Bergmann said. "It was a game we couldn't lose."

Near the end of the first quarter, Harvard's offense was on the Panther's doorstep and knocking relentlessly. Eventually, it broke through.

Loaded Gun

Moments after a skip shot bounced off the right post, midfielder Robert Griffith gunned a shot that seemed to slide right across the ground. The ball was never more than six inches above the grass and only stopped when it hit the back of the net.

In the final minutes of the first quarter, it became apparent that the Crimson was the hunter and the Panthers its prey.

"Although the first quarter was close, we had some good possesion and were moving the ball well," said Harvard Coach Scott Anderson, whose team improved to 7-1.

The Crimson looked especially spectacular during the second quarter, and blasted the Panthers until the final whistle. Griffith began the barrage by netting his second goal of the day at 4:37.

Harvard's scoring was divided among four players--Griffith, David Kramer, Steve Lux and Nick Nero--who each scored twice.

Throughout the game, the Crimson's defense was nearly flawless. Seven times the defense was forced to play with a man down, and once six-on-four. Each time the defense sent the Panthers away empty pawed. A big part of the defensive strength came from Bergmann, who finished with 18 saves.

"I was not really surprised that the defense had a great game," Anderson said. "They are our strong point and we've come to expect it."

"It was a good offensive game for us," continued Anderson. "We played without [freshman attackman] Mickey Cavuoti, who was injured late in practice Friday. We didn't really have time to make any adjustments, but we had good ball movement and played unselfishly."

Harvard next sees action Wednesday against Brown.