Laxmen Manhandled By C.W. Post, 11-4

Blame it on the rain. Blame it on C.W. Post. But, most of all, blame it on Harvard.

The Harvard men's lacrosse team had to contend with poor field conditions, a fired-up C.W. Post and a host of early-season mistakes. In the end, it was too much for the Crimson to overcome, as the Pioneers handed Harvard an 11-4 defeat at Hickox Field in Greenvale, N.Y.

Playing its season-opener in the pouring rain, the Crimson had problems at both ends of the field.

Post played an aggressive "shut-off" defense in which the Pioneer defenders took away the pass and attacked the ball carrier. The defense made it easier for Post to strip Harvard's players of the ball.

But players said that Harvard was the source of a lot of its own problems and had trouble organizing an effective response to the Pioneer onslaught.

For most of the game, confusion plagued the Crimson offense, which mustered only three goals in the first half.

Harvard's only score of the second half came from long-stick defender Eric Bentley who traveled coast to coast on a clear and fired as a shot past the Pioneer goalie.

"The offense couldn't get anything going, and our heads really weren't in the game," Co-Captain Paul Faust said.

Faust had two goals in the game, scoring once in the first quarter and again in the second off a pass from freshman midfielder Pat Marvin.

The Crimson offense's only other goal came from senior attacker Chip Linehan who swiped a pass from the Pioneer goalie at the top of the crease and easily put it in the net.

Lack of Organization

Harvard did not have much more luck at the other end of the field, with the defense also suffering from a lack of organization.

Despite a good performance by senior goalie Chris Miller, the Crimson defense allowed six goals in the first half and five in the second.

Players on the defense said that Harvard was able to shut down Post six-on-six, but the Pioneers were able to take advantage of unsettled situations to score easy goals.

"Confusion on our side led to a lot of goals that should not have been scored," senior defender Peter Welch said. "We committed a lot of stupid penalties and made little mistakes that we have to work on clearing up."

Welch also said that Post's transition game hurt the Crimson considerably. The Pioneers were able to clear the ball well and create fast-break situations.

"It's really a slap in the face when they get easy transition goals," Welsh said.

Part of the problem in this weekend's loss may have been that much of Harvard's offense was playing in its first regular-season collegiate game.

"I was more nervous playing in this game than at any other game in my life," freshman attacker Steve Gaffney said.