Laxmen Stave Off Stray Cats, 10-5

Lacrosse players don't usually think about shooting from over 50 feet away from the net--usually.

The Harvard men's lacrosse team (5-1) let loose a few of its big guns from long distance yesterday and defeated Vermont (3-3), 10-5. The Crimson didn't waste time waiting for the perfect shot, choosing instead to fire away from the outer perimeter in front of 70 spectators at Ohiri Field.

Shooting practice began in the second quarter. Midfielder Perry Dodge ran into a double team on a drive towards the cage and flipped the ball back to fellow middie Steve Lux. Unguarded, Lux blasted the ball into the back of the net from 55 feet out.

Lux continued his long-range shooting just two minutes later. After a Vermont penalty, Lux, positioned 45 feet from the cage, once again found that he had time to shoot. Once again his shot ended up in the net.

"The goalie was probably the weakest part of their game," Lux said. "We knew we could take some shots and so sometimes we were a little less patient than we would be normally. Usually we try and work for a shot near the crease."

The longest scoring shot came next. The Crimson was in a powerplay situation after a slashing penalty by the Catamounts.

Harvard spread its offense, setting up attackman David Kramer at the top right corner of the box. The laxmen passed the ball around for only a few seconds before Kramer whipped off an underhanded shot. Kramer's bullet beat Vermont goalie Brian Eng to the upper corner.

Even with these shots the victory was not as decisive as it could have been. The Crimson held a 7-1 lead at halftime but could not extend it.

"We did not really dominate as much as we should have," said Harvard Coach Scott Anderson. "We were a little too casual."

For the first five minutes, the teams looked evenly matched. Vermont came out strong, forcing Harvard goalie Michael Bergman into making three tough saves on its initial possession.

Despite the hussle of the Catamounts, Harvard got on the scoreboard first. Attacker Brad Raymond appeared to be covered by the Vermont defense in front of the net. He wasn't, and the, Catamounts paid.

A minute and a half later Micky Cavuoti came from behind the net, right along the crease, and slipped a shot past Eng.

After scoring in the first half from both the inside and the outside, Harvard found that in the third quarter it could not score from anywhere.

In the first twenty minutes after halftime, the Catamounts scored four times while the Crimson couldn't find the net.

"It was tough after getting down 7-1," said Vermont Coach Jeff Thomsen. "But we were able to shut down Harvard and come back, so that was a positive thing."

"Our defense is going through some transitions," said Lux. "It is normally the strongest part of our game. Today they broke down a few times when they normally wouldn't have."

Fortunatly for Harvard, its defense held tight for the last 10 minutes of play. Midfielder Robert Griffith relocated the goal, scoring three times in the last six minutes.

"It is nice to have the win but we would have gotten more out of it if we would have played better," Anderson said. "Nevertheless, it was a win and after a loss[to Penn on Saturday] you have to get back on the right track."