Crimson Look to Rebound

As the Harvard men’s lacrosse team chases a berth to the NCAA tournament, every game will be important in its pursuit of the Ivy League title or an at-large invitation.

The 2011 campaign begins at home tomorrow afternoon versus Canisius. The Crimson plays its opening home games at the Soldiers Field Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium before making its way over to Harvard Stadium for a battle against UMass on March 29.

Harvard opens its Ivy League schedule on March 19 at Brown. The Crimson has a tough Ivy League schedule this year, including important contests at home against Cornell on April 9 away at Princeton on April 23, and at home against Yale on April 30. Harvard’s contest against the Big Red will be televised on CBS College Sports, a game that will give the Crimson a chance to shine against the 2010 Ivy League Co-Champions.

“We’re learning from the previous two seasons, but it definitely feels a little different,” junior co-captain Kevin Vaughn said. “It feels a little fresh; it feels like we’re going to do well, and we expect to.”

Harvard also plays a tough match against the Tigers, winners of the 2010 Ivy League Tournament.

The team closes the season with its traditional rivalry game against Yale. The Crimson squeezed out a close 10-9 victory over Yale last season.

“As a team, we just have to stay mentally disciplined,” junior co-captain Dean Gibbons said. “[We have to] take advantage of opportunities—definitely be aggressive on the field, but be smart with the ball and not make any turnovers.”

Wojcik is leading men’s lacrosse in his first year as a head coach. For the past two years, Wojcik was an assistant coach at Penn and proved his merits as an assistant coach and a recruiter for the Quakers. Before Penn, Wojcik worked as an assistant coach for the Harvard lacrosse team, serving as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator from 2005 to 2007.

Wojcik will look for leadership help from his two experienced co-captains, Gibbons and Vaughn, to help lead the Crimson into the 2011 campaign. Gibbons, an attacker, was an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American honorable mention. He tallied 27 goals and 41 points during the 2010 season.

Vaughn, the other co-captain, started all 12 games and netted 15 goals and 23 assists last year. He proved to be a clutch performer by netting two game-winning scores during the 2010 season.

“We’re expecting big things [this season],” Vaughn said. “We want to be very successful, but at the same time we know we want to have a lot of fun doing it. And I think we’re doing a pretty good job of that.”

But the captains won’t be the only ones with increased leadership responsibilities, as all the upperclassmen look to step into larger roles.

Juniors Daniel DiMaria and Terry White lead the 17 upperclassmen into the 2011 season. Both DiMaria, a defenseman, and White, a midfielder, were named to the NEILA preseason team. White netted 13 goals and six assists during the 2010 season.

Junior Jeff Cohen played a big role in the 2010 season as an attacker, starting every game. Cohen led the team with 29 goals, and the team will look to him as an offensive threat for next year.

“As a team, I think we’re trying to improve on coming out and playing hard everyday,” Cohen said. “We’re trying to run up and down and be a kind of run and gun kind of team. We have to be in good shape.”

Last year’s heralded freshman class will also be looking to take on increased roles and expectations as it heads into its second seasons.

Leading the sophomores, Alex White played in every game last season and netted six goals and six assists. Peter Schwartz also had a significant role during his freshman season, netting three scores and six assists for the Crimson in only seven appearances.

Ten freshmen join the lacrosse team this spring, seven of whom earned U.S. Lacrosse All-America honors for their success in high school.

The recruiting class was ranked ninth in the nation by Inside Lacrosse Magazine, and is already starting to mount recognition, including John Rose’s selection as the NEILA Rookie of the Year.

“It’s a new era for Harvard Lacrosse,” Rose said. “I think we’re a team that has a lot of depth, a lot of potential, and we know it this year.”