Laxmen Get a Win

The Harvard men's lacrosse team hopped on the bus for Adelphi this weekend with three simple objectives:

It wanted to continue its strong defensive play.

It wanted to put everything together on the offensive end.

And finally, it wanted solid play in the net.

These three things would be the recipe for a victory. And sure enough, the team hopped back on the bus after Saturday's game having achieved its goals, and sporting its first victory of the season: a 13-8 win over Adelphi.

The big variable in this victory equation was the offensive play. Harvard's young, inexperienced offense gave the Crimson four straight losses coming into Saturday's game in Garden City, Long Island.

But against Adelphi, Harvard created a balanced attack, with eight different players scoring and a ninth collecting an assist.

"Saturday was by far our best offensive performance," Harvard Coach Scott Anderson said. "The scoring was well spread. We got some good effort from many people."

Just waiting to explode were Harvard's two brightest offensive stars: sophomore Steve Gaffney tallied three goals and one assist, and freshman Mike Eckert two goals and two assists).

Leading 5-2 heading into the second half, Harvard knew that the key to victory would come from its attack, while delivered eight goals, two in each quarter, to hold off a six-goal spurt by an Adelphi team in the midst of its worst season in years.

"In the second half, it came down to the fact that we were able to convert on our offensive opportunities," said junior Mike Porter, who scored twice on just three shots.

Strong Defense

Porter made sure to give credit, though, where credit is due, namely to Harvard's over-sized, immensely talented defenders: sophomore Mason Wynocker, senior Read Hubbard and Co-Captain Eric Bentley.

"The defense played really well," Porter said. "As usual, Bentley was all over the field. He shut down their number-one scorer."

Adelphi's primary weakness remains its depth, and Harvard took good advantage of the opportunity to run the Long Island natives ragged.

"They were a talented team, but did not have too much depth," Anderson said. "As the game progressed, we were able to control the groundballs and the action."

The last cog in the victory machine was the goaltending, from junior Matt Camp, who, after sputtering during pre-season practice, has developed into a solid, dependable netminder.

Camp, who made a game total of 17 saves, let in eight goals, but more to the point helped turned aside 36 shots, limiting Adelphi to just two tallies in 20 shots during the first half.

Tough Schedule

Harvard hopes that this type of balanced play can carry over to this coming week. From now until next Wednesday, the Crimson play three top ten teams.

But Harvard is not scared at the prospect of this tough schedule. It has its first victory under its belt, and is expecting mant more to follow.

"If we play well, we can play with anyone," Coach Anderson said.

****

THE NOTEBOOK: Next to Army, Adelphi is traditionally one of the hardest-hitting teams in Division I Lacrosse, winning games with brawn rather than elegance.

That was certainly the case Saturday, as the team collected nine penalties including five for slashing and one for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Porter tallied twice, but he did it with an illegal stick. The Kirkland junior got nabbed for having an extra-deep pocket at 15:00 of the fourth quarter. Harvard collected just four more penalties in the conetst. The Crimson did not commit any during the first period but had three in the final 15 minutes of the game, including two back-to-back fouls for holding and slashing. Adelphi only converted one of the extra-man opportunities, however. HARVARD, 13-8 at Garden City, NY Adelphi  0  2  3  3  --  8 Harvard  1  4  4  4  --  13

e: Adelphi--Tom Naglien (2), John Calabria (2), Kieran O'Brian Eissenberg, Gary Reh, Andy Mannos; Harvard--Steve Gaffner (3). Mike Eckert (2), Ed Sim (2), Mike Porter (2), Jaimie Ames, robb Hirsh, Pat Marvin, Read Hubbard. A: Adelphi--Tom Naglien (2), Kieran O'Brien, Brian Eisenberg; Harvard--Mike Eckert (2), Steve Gaffney, Jaimie Ames, Dan Nickles. S: Adelphi--Theissen 15, Murray 6; Harvard--Matt Camp 17.

e: Adelphi--Tom Naglien (2), John Calabria (2), Kieran O'Brian Eissenberg, Gary Reh, Andy Mannos; Harvard--Steve Gaffner (3). Mike Eckert (2), Ed Sim (2), Mike Porter (2), Jaimie Ames, robb Hirsh, Pat Marvin, Read Hubbard. A: Adelphi--Tom Naglien (2), Kieran O'Brien, Brian Eisenberg; Harvard--Mike Eckert (2), Steve Gaffney, Jaimie Ames, Dan Nickles. S: Adelphi--Theissen 15, Murray 6; Harvard--Matt Camp 17.