M. Lax Wins in 21-5 Blowout

The Harvard men's lacrosse team won its annual laugher against Boston College on Saturday, dominating the Eagles in a 21-5 win at Jordan Field.

Sophomore attackman Matt Primm tallied five goals and assisted on two others, and senior attackman Roger Buttles found the net three times and had three helpers on a day when 12 different players found the back of the net for the Crimson (2-0).

Harvard opened up leads of 4-1 after the first frame, 8-2 after the second and 15-3 after the third before burying the Eagles (0-2) with six goals in the final period.

Buttles opened the scoring two minutes into the opening period on an unassisted strike, and the onslaught gained momentum from there. The Crimson outshot the Eagles 59-22 on the day.

Senior attackman Dana Sprong had the eventual game-winner three minutes inro the second period on a goal of impressive inididual effort.

Primm fired a shot at B.C. goaltender James Karambay, who got just enough stick on the ball to knock it around and behind the goal. Standing behind the crease, Sprong scooped up the groundball, battled through two defenders to the front of the crease and fired a low shot past Karambay as he fell to the turf.

It was a combination of strong play along the back line, fluid ball movement and a flustered Eagles squad that helped the Crimson to its biggest win since its 19-2 thrashing of B.C. in last year's home opener. Senior long-stick midfielder Kanu Okike's goal at 9:55 of the second period combined all three.

The Eagles' midfield ruined their transition by tossing an errant pass in the direction of a Crimson defender. The defense quickly cleared the ball out of its own half, finding Primm at midfield. Primm took a couple of steps towards his own goal and saw Okike streaking through mid-field.

Okike charged in on net unchallenged and netted a high bouncer past Karambay.

Freshman goaltender Jake McKenna spent the bulk of the game in the cage, registering six saves and allowing two goals. Seniors Ely Kahn and Matt O'Hare split time in the second half.

Harvard converted on two of six man-up opportunties and won the groundballs contest 45-35. But the Crimson was thoroughly outplayed in the face-off. The Eagles took 18 of the 28 face-offs on the day, including 10 of 12 in the first half.

The Crimson now has less than a week before its first Ivy test against Penn this Saturday, and a weak showing at the center stipe could hurt an offense that is showing promise--once it can get down to its own end.

Before Penn, however, the Harvard will face Holy Cross (1-5) this Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Jordan Field.