M. Lax Ends Season With 14-8 Win

Two teams came to Scully-Fahey Field in Hanover, N.H. on Saturday looking to avoid a sub-.500 season and a win to salvage a tough 2001 campaign.

The Harvard men's lacrosse team (8-7, 2-4 Ivy) got what it wanted, leaving Dartmouth (6-8, 1-5) with a 14-8 victory and some positive closure at the end of an up-and-down season.

Freshman goaltender Jake McKenna impressed once again, turning aside 21 shots.

The Crimson built an early lead in the first quarter and never let go.

"The energy level was high at the beginning of the game," co-captain Dana Sprong said.

Harvard scored four times in the first five minutes as the Big Green defense extended itself and attempted to press.

Sophomore attackman Matt Primm found midfielder Jeff Gottschall a little more than a minute into the first quarter, and Gottschall beat Dartmouth goalie Mike Gault to the top corner. 14 seconds later, Primm scored himself.

Sophomore midfielder Doug Logigian added two more goals before Dartmouth finally got on the board when attacker Scott Roslyn cracked the Harvard defense at 13:18. Sprong scored off an assist from Primm to put the Crimson up 5-1 after the first quarter.

Primm and junior midfielder Michael Baly added unassisted goals in the second quarter, and Harvard walked off the field after the first half with a 7-2 advantage.

"We didn't really do anything different strategically from the rest of the year," Sprong said. "We just had good execution and the ball was moving."

Still, some players were cautious during halftime.

"Some of the older guys reminded the team about playing Dartmouth two years ago," Primm said. "We were up eight and lost it in the second half."

As it turned out Harvard did not have to worry. Dartmouth never got to within more than four, though it made several runs in the second half. Every time Dartmouth scored, the Crimson responded.

Seven seconds into the second half, Big Green midfielder Russell Radebaugh scored, but Sprong came right back with a goal of his own, again assisted by Primm, who finished with two goals and three assists on the day.

The teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the period, and Harvard finished the third quarter up 10-5.

Defense prevailed for the first half of the last period. McKenna continued to shine, turning away shot after shot to stop the Big Green attack. Sprong scored his third goal seven minutes into the fourth quarter to put Harvard up six. Gottschall scored back-to-back goals-one of them in a man-up situation-several minutes later as Harvard continued to pour it on.

Senior goaltender Ely Kahn replaced McKenna in the final 4:48 and stopped six shots while only giving up one.

"Jake McKenna was huge for us the whole season," Sprong said. "We needed him to avoid a sub-.500 season."

The win was two in a row for the injury-plagued Crimson, who ended the season on a high note after four straight losses over a two week period.

"We've had a tough season," Primm said. "It was important for us to have a game where the offense played as well as the defense."

Sprong, who played in his last game this weekend, thought the win boded well for the future.

"This is the game we'll remember over the offseason and as we leave," he said. "We're proud to end it this way. Even though our record was similar to last year's, the discipline of the team is higher than before."

One team got good memories and the pride of a winning season. The other had to settle for the bottom of the Ivy League barrel. Luckily for the Crimson, the lacrosse gods were on its side.