Varsity Stickmen Break Even Against Tough Southern Teams

With just four hard scrimmages on a playing field under its belt, the varsity lacrosse team headed South Monday on the toughest spring playing trip it had faced in years. Opposing four of the best teams in the nation in six days, the Crimson stickmen played well enough to break even on the tour and gain badly needed experience at the same time.

The season's opener, a 10 to 4 romp over Hofstra, was one of surprising ease for Munro's highly touted squad. While the Crimson could not score at will, they still were able to put the game on ice before half time. Captain Grady Watts led the team in scoring with three goals and two assists. He received ample assistance from attackmen Lew Williams and Woody Spruance who collected four goals and an assist between them. The obviously outclassed Hofstra ten was not without its own bright moments, scoring twice in the last fifteen seconds of the contest.

On Tuesday, Rutgers was even more brilliant, but the Crimson's extra man play worked to perfection and an 18 to 13 win. Watts and Williams again guided the attack with a combined eight goal effort. Coach Bruce Munro's extra-man midfield of Sieglaff, Prahl, and Gunnoe accounted for five more Crimson tallies while the defense learned how to handle Rutgers attackman John Valestra. Valestra singlehandedly kept Rutgers in the game with four goals and six assists, but he did most of his damage in the first half before the body checking tactics of Straus, Grannis, and Kessler were at peak efficiency.

The University of Maryland ended the Crimson's winning ways on Thursday, besting the varsity by a 13 to 10 score. The attacking unit that had produced 16 goals in the previous two games was held to four tallies by rugged Terrapin defensemen playing control ball. The Maryland midfield took face-off after face-off. Munro's squad was not able to overcome this handicap in spite of a strong fourth period finish.

The following rainy, muddy Saturday afternoon passed while Navy out numbered, out ran, out blocked, and definitely out scored the Crimson in the last game of the spring schedule. The midshipmen romped over the varsity 17 to 4. Harvard managed only 11 shots all afternoon while Navy substitutes continued to pound the ball into the Crimson nets. They led by three goals before the game was four minutes old, and the Crimson never recovered.

The varsity should have a chance to do some high scoring of its own in its first home game against a weak M.I.T. squad.