Late Goal Stuns Harvard in Low-Scoring Affair

In a low-scoring tug-of-war game, the Harvard men’s lacrosse team slipped to host Siena by a 6-5 score, Saturday, in coach John Tillman’s first game for the Crimson.

“I think that today’s game should be a lesson to us that you can’t underestimate any team,” tri-captain Nick La Fiura said. “I don’t think that the coach had underprepared us, but maybe some of us thought less of this team than maybe we would have of Cornell. It just shows that any team can win on any given Saturday.”

The Saints and the Crimson were tied four times over the course of the game in Loudonville, N.Y., with neither able to conjure up game-changing momentum or translate it into a steady lead.

Ultimately, with 12:15 remaining in the second half, Siena sophomore Chris Zarins netted his second goal on the day taking the lead, 6-5. Harvard attackers fought to answer the score, taking five shots on goal as the clock ran down, outshooting the Saints, 9-3, in the final frame.

Harvard’s stifling defense kept Siena’s streaky offense—which racked up 19 goals against Presbyterian in its season opener—in check with notable performances from junior Sean Whitsitt at short-stick defender and classmate Sam Slaughter.

On a brisk afternoon, Siena snatched an early, but slim, lead by claiming the only goal of the first quarter. Harvard answered with three goals to take a 3-1 lead with 6:43 remaining in the first half. Two minutes into the second quarter, tri-captain Brooks Scholl tallied the first Crimson goal on an assist from junior midfielder Nick Sapia.

Less than half a minute later, sophomore attacker Jesse Fehr brought the score to 2-1 in a man-up advantage. Harvard went 1-for-4 in such situations and killed both man-up opportunities for the Saints on the afternoon.

Junior midfielder Max Motschwiller scored his first of two unassisted goals on the day shortly thereafter taking the score to 3-1 with 6:43 to play in the half.

“Right before the end of the half our offense started to move and we were up, 3-1, then maybe a couple of unlucky bounces changed the momentum in their direction,” La Fiura said. “Nothing specific about those two minutes impacted the game that much.”

Siena seized the lead with three unanswered goals, taking the score to 4-3 at intermission.

“In the second half we started to finally get our confidence in our offense back in the sense that we were moving the ball around hard, had our up tempo game and really focused in,” La Fiura said.

Motschwiller’s second strike evened the score at 4-4 with 9:24 remaining in the third quarter, but the Saints posted their own goal just three minutes later. Sapia helped out with his second assist, passing to freshman midfielder Francis Ellis to close the gap at 5-5.

“We weren’t able to get a lead and grow it,” Scholl said. “We were playing from behind trying to tie it up. Even when we did get momentum and a lead, we let them hang around.”

Then Zarins delivered the final blow for Siena, but not before the Crimson had taken four shots on goal.

“Their goalie had a really good game, in my opinion,” Scholl said. “He would save the ball and get it right up and out of the stick for a fast break the other way. He was keeping his head up and looking to do that every time.”

Siena goalie Brent Herbst made nine saves over the course of play, while junior Joe Pike denied the Saints four times. Overall, Harvard outshot Siena, 28-21, and earned six ground balls to the Saint’s 11. Nick Smith stepped up to fill the shoes of graduated co-captain John Henry Flood, winning six of 11 faceoffs.

“We’re extremely disappointed,” Scholl said. “We had such high expectations we’ve been working really hard but today we were unable to put it together, hopefully next week well get a win.”

The Crimson will host Stony Brook for Harvard’s home opener next Saturday.

—Staff writer Elizabeth A. Joyce can be reached at eajoyce@fas.harvard.edu.