M. Lacrosse Rallies Past Pesky Big Red in Ithaca

Pulling ahead for good on freshman Lawson DeVries' goal, the men's lacrosse team (4-2, 2-0 Ivy) shook off stubborn Cornell (2-6, 1-2) in the third quarter of Harvard's 18-16 win Saturday at Ithaca. "With Lawson's goal, we finally gained momentum to carry us through the rest of the game," said junior Owen Leary, who had four goals and an assist. "We knew that if we played the way we could, we'd win; in the end, that's what brought us ahead."

DeVries' tally with 3:20 left in the third snapped an 11-11 tie. Junior Mike Ferrucci, who scored a career-high 11 points (four goals, seven assists), assisted on the goal from the left side.

Standing in the crease, DeVries took a few steps and shot the ball past Cornell freshman Rich Yost (five saves).

"The offense moved the ball well," DeVries said. "They definitely put the ball in the goal. We wanted to beat [Cornell] more handily though."

Harvard took an early 2-0 lead, but the Big Red narrowed the margin to 3-2 by the end of the first period. Cornell then scored the next three goals.

"The problem was that we came out flat," Leary said. "They had a good game plan. They hold the ball longer than most teams. They wait until their opponent comes and then go to the cage."

Twice in the second period, Cornell posted two-goal leads. The Crimson rallied to tie the score at seven at the half.

"At halftime, we figured out that we needed to spread the field more and concentrate more when we got opportunities," Leary said.

Beginning at 10:52 of the third period, when junior Jared Chupaila tied the score at 11, Ferrucci assisted on four consecutive Crimson goals.

"In the second half, we started to take better shots and play more solid defense," Ferrucci said. "We had been waiting for the whole team to click."

Harvard increased its lead to 17-13 on goalie Rob Lyng's open-netter with six minutes remaining. Cornell scored the last two goals of the game.

"You don't want to see that happen," Ferrucci said. "We had some little breakdowns."

Leary said that Harvard underestimated Cornell.

"Every time we got a two- or three-goal lead, we grew content," Leary said. "We were not as aggressive. Our defense laid back a little. The defense on both teams was not exactly stellar."

Lyng made nine saves on the day.

Junior Jim Bevilacqua had three goals and an assist. Chupaila also scored three goals. Ian Hafner had five goals and an assist for Cornell. Josh Morgan led the Big Red with four assists.

Harvard is scheduled to face Brown on Wednesday at Ohiri Field, barring poor field conditions due to storms.

G: Cornell--Hafner 5, Varis 3, Cahalane 2, Campbell 2, Dutton 2, Brospet 1, Wilkenson 1; Harvard--Ferrucci 4, Leary 4, J Bevilacqua 3, Chupaila 3, Crofton 1, DeVries 1, Lopez 1, Lyng 1. A: Cornell--Morgan 4, Wise 2, Hafner 1; Harvard--Ferrucci 7, Leary 1, J. Bevilacqua 1, Crofton 1, L. Bevilacqua 1. S: Cornell--Yost 5, Zorella 1; Harvard--Lyng 9. Cornell  16 Harvard  18

HARVARD, 18-16 at Schoellkopf Field Cornell  2  5  4  5  --  16 Harvard  3  4  6  5  --  18

HARVARD, 18-16 at Schoellkopf Field Cornell  2  5  4  5  --  16 Harvard  3  4  6  5  --  18