Vaughan Leads Crimson to Historic Win

According to those who know him best, Kevin Vaughan is not a guy who seeks the spotlight.

But after the Harvard men’s lacrosse team’s win over Princeton, the spotlight is definitely finding him.

Last Saturday at Harvard Stadium, the sophomore attack notched three tallies and scooped four ground balls as the Crimson (6-5, 2-3 Ivy) defeated then-No. 6 Tigers (9-3, 4-1), 11-8.

“The game was huge,” sophomore attack Jeff Cohen said. “It was a historic win for the program—we hadn’t done it in 20 years.”

Vaughan likewise expressed how important the victory was for the team and lacrosse alumni alike.

“There were a lot of alumni there who hadn’t beaten [Princeton],” Vaughan explained. “It was nice to get the win for them and for the seniors on Senior Day.”

But the win did not come easily.

“It was a dog fight for most of the game,” coach John Tillman said. “It was very back and forth…[Kevin] scored some important goals for us.”

In the fourth quarter, Vaughan found the back of the net twice for his second and third goals to give Harvard a four-point lead—its biggest of the game—with 3:44 left to play.

Yet, when asked how he felt about being such a large part of the win, Vaughan was quick to downplay his contribution.

“The coach asked me to do certain things,” Vaughan said. “I was just doing my job; [it was] nothing exceptional.”

According to Tillman, though, Vaughan’s success with his “job” is exactly what makes him exceptional.

“The thing that makes him very helpful for us is that he’s very versatile,” Tillman said. “By plugging him into different spots, we can have other players play to their specific strengths…Kevin has no problem taking on different roles depending on what the team needs.”

Part of this adaptability, Tillman further explained, is the result of Vaughan’s unique blend of skills.

“An attack is sometimes...a pure scorer. Other times, [he] is maybe somebody who gets a lot of assists, feeding the ball and setting up the team. Other times, [he] is more of a leader,” he said. “Kevin is a little bit of all of those things.”

Because of this, Tillman has sometimes been plugging Vaughan into the midfield position.

“Kevin has moved into a new role for our team,” Cohen explained. “He’s been playing a lot of mid, and he’s done a great job [there] in addition to scoring on the attack.”

In this role, Vaughan has scooped up at least one ground ball in nine of eleven games so far this season.

“It’s a unique skill,” Tillman said. “It’s less about talent and more about effort. Kevin does a terrific job in those situations…because he’s very aggressive and relentless, and he has a lot of energy, courage, and toughness. If he doesn’t get the ball, he can keep it loose so someone else can pick it up.”

The numerous praises for Vaughan’s talents do not end here. When asked about his commitment to the team, Cohen and Tillman’s responses were once again laudatory.

“He’s one of the hardest workers on the team,” Cohen said. “He has a great work ethic that rubs off on a lot of guys, including myself…Guys see that and they want to work hard.”

Tillman expressed a similar opinion about Vaughan’s intangibles.

“If you think of an ideal teammate, I think he would be it,” Tillman said. “He’s a guy that works hard every day and challenges his team to be better…If things aren’t going well, he’s always about picking the team up instead of being negative and pointing fingers.”

“I couldn’t say this about everyone on the team,” he added.

But Tillman strove to emphasize that Vaughan’s success will not be limited to the lacrosse field.

“He’s the type of guy that succeeds at a place like Harvard,” Tillman concluded. “I think that he’s a guy who didn’t come here just to play lacrosse. He came to get a great education, to grow, to play lacrosse, and to have a great experience. Harvard should be really proud to have him as an ambassador after he graduates. He’s a better person than he is a lacrosse player.”