Crimson Readies for Semis

Back to the Future: Part III was the number one box office hit the last time the Harvard men’s lacrosse team won the Ivy League title, in May 1990. Not only were Marty McFly and Dr. Brown in their heyday, but a large portion of the Crimson’s current roster wasn’t even born.

“It’s been a long time, and that’s definitely a big source of motivation for us,” said All-Ivy honorable mention freshman Daniel Eipp, who wasn’t alive when Michael J. Fox drove in the DeLorean. “But to be honest, we really want to win it for ourselves.”

Third-seed No. 17 Harvard (9-5, 3-3 Ivy) will be taking on second-seed No. 15 Penn (8-5, 4-2 Ivy) in the first semifinal of the Ivy League Tournament tonight in Ithaca, N.Y. Host No. 2 Cornell (11-2, 6-0 Ivy) is the heavy favorite and will face four-seed No. 20 Yale (10-3, 3-3 Ivy) in the other semifinal.

The Crimson has never appeared in the Ivy League tournament before and after last Saturday’s win against Yale is currently 1-2 against the field. The winner of the tournament will win an automatic bid to the eight-team NCAA tournament. Despite the stakes, Harvard coach Chris Wojcik ’96 remains unfazed.

“We’re really just taking it one game at a time,” Wojcik said. “We’re not thinking about the implications. The guys are just trying to stay focused and play our game.”

Even with the lower seed, the Crimson maintains a sense of confidence going into the weekend, largely due to its encounters with the three teams who will be playing in upstate New York. Last weekend’s victory at Harvard Stadium over the Bulldogs, 9-5, was dominant, and both of its losses came by only one goal—including a double-overtime thriller against the Quakers on April 16.

“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity of getting another shot at Penn,” Wojcik said. “It was a tough loss, and I feel like we definitely didn’t play up to our potential. If we’re firing on all cylinders, I feel we can definitely beat them.”

If the Crimson is to come away with a victory, it will need stand-out play from its All-Ivy co-captains, senior Dean Gibbons and junior Kevin Vaughan, both of whom had impressive performances against Yale.

“Kevin and Dean both played really well, and we’re going to need to see that again from them this weekend,” Wojcik said. “Last time out against Penn, we didn’t really execute offensively, and that’s going to have to change.”

Implicit in that statement is the assumption that Harvard will hold its own on the defensive end. Sophomore goalie Harry Krieger has a .705 save percentage in the last two games—both Crimson victories.

“Harry’s been on a hot streak in goal lately,” Wojcik said. “He’s been seeing the ball well and really coming up big for us.”

The Quakers are coming off an 11-2 loss at No. 11 Virginia, a game in which their defense appeared to be exposed. Even so, they still have a strong back line, led by All-Ivy senior defenseman Brett Hughes, who is joined by four other Penn All-Ivy honorees, the most in the school’s history.

“They have a good team, but as I said, I think anything can happen,” said Wojcik, who was an assistant with the Quakers for the last two years.

Harvard leads the all-time series with Penn, 42-34-2, but has never faced the squad in a game with such high stakes.

The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the other semifinal, between the Big Red and the Bulldogs. Both teams have had strong seasons, and Cornell has a legitimate chance at winning the national title. This marks a very good year for men’s lacrosse in the Ivy League with four teams ranked in the nation’s top 20.

Both semifinal games will be available to watch from home on ESPN3.com, as will the championship game on Sunday.

It will be a tough road for the Crimson to reach the championship, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for a team that was been involved in six one-goal games this season.

“We’ve been through a lot together,” Eipp said. “No one on the team has had the chance to play in the Ivy League Tournament before, so we’re just going to go out there and try and win it for our seniors.”