Seventeen Days of Waiting and Waiting

Bring the Dust Busters. Have a can of WD-40 at the ready.

The Harvard women's lacrosse team has not played a game in 17 days. The dusty, rusty Crimson will take the field tomorrow in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in West Chester, Penn.

The last time Harvard played was May 2, when the Crimson dumped Boston College, 8-4, to up its record to 13-0. Much has happened since.

The last time Harvard played, Ronald Reagan was president.

"There's no question the layoff has been tough," Harvard Coach Carole Kleinfelder said. "We have not looked as sharp."

Harvard's semifinal opponent, Princeton, played last Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As the tournament's second seed, the Crimson got a bye into the semifinals. The Tigers nipped the University of Virginia, 6-5, and, according to some Crimson players who saw the contest, looked sharp. Sharper than when Harvard beat them, 6-2, March 25.

"I think it's going to be a much tighter game," junior Char Joslin said. "They looked a lot tougher and a lot faster."

The last time Harvard played, Lucille Ball was yelling at Desi Arnez, and Abbie Hoffman was passing out flowers.

"In a tournament game, you're not going to let [a layoff] bother you," Princeton Coach Chris Sailor said.

Easy enough for you to say, Coach. Your players don't have cobwebs instead of pouches on the ends of their sticks.

Exhibitions

Kleinfelder has tried to keep her players in game shape by scheduling exhibition games against lacrosse alumni and the men's JV team. But she admitted nothing is as good preparation for a real game as a real game.

The last time Harvard played, George Bush was starting at first base for Yale.

"I've been trying to tell them to run," Kleinfelder said. "I'm more concerned about the cardiovascular, making sure they're in shape. The stick skills will come back."

Harvard will be making its secondstraight appearance in the NCAA semis. Last year the Crimson fell to eventual champion Temple, 13-8.

This year's team is a new and improved version of last year's crew. But even the shiniest products collect dust. Will inactivity mean another semifinal defeat?

"I think [the layoff] is going to have a positive effect," Joslin said. "The energy level is going to be so high. People have been serious about running and keeping fit. Everyone is so geared up."

Princeton will be tough, Joslin said, but not tough enough.

"Our defense can handle their offense and more," she said. "I see our defense as the best in the country."

Harvard's offense has not been as explosive as Harvard offenses past. Ten goal outings do not come as easily as they once did.

Still, Harvard has yet to post a loss.

"We've had trouble all year finding the net," said Kleinfelder, who is in her 11th season as Crimson coach. "I wouldn't say they have as much lacrosse skill as other teams I've coached. But in terms of mental discipline, confidence and character, it's a better team. Maybe that's the stuff you win with when you get into the playoffs."

Final Products

The last time the two teams met, neither squad was polished. Early in the season, Harvard and Princeton were parts on an assembly line, not finished products.

Both teams are ready for the NCAA showroom.

"We are definitely a different team," Sailor said. "We went into that game thinking we could win, but we were a bit tentative. Since then we've had some big wins [including a victory over the tournament's top seed, Penn State]. We're hoping to show Harvard a different team."

"They've grown, we've grown," Kleinfelder said.

The last time Harvard played, John Harvard was thinking about what he should do with his book collection.

But when the Crimson hits the field tomorrow, 17 days will seem like one. It's tournament time again.