Crimson, Brown Stickmen Lock Horns Today

In the first eight games of the season, the Crimson lacrosse team, with a 0-8 record, has done a lot of futile hopping from frying pan. But today it's into the Ivy League fire, with leading contender Brown flashing into town for a 3 p.m. face off on the B-School field.

Coming off a rough week against UMass, 12-8, and Cornell, 18-8, the stickmen also were treated unsympathetically by New England sportswriters. Despite the ten's fine showing against UMass, trading goals for three quarters, the NE lacrosse poll rated the Minutemen second, behind Brown, and the Crimson a distant seventh.

The Bruins (5-1) enter today's contest with an Ivy record of two wins, and share the Ivy lead record of two wins, and share the Ivy lead with Penn. Brown fell to top-ranked Johns Hopkins, 18-7, on Saturday before a record 6000 in Providence, R.I.

The leading Bruin scorer overall is attackman Stephan Russo, with 12 goals and 22 assists, including six against the Blue Jays. Baltimore product Bob Rubeor, also an attackman, is second for Brown with 13 scores and 5 assists.

Incapacitated

For the third straight game Harvard will miss defenseman Charlie Kittredge, who has a lower leg injury.

Meanwhile, the blossoming scoring threat on attack has seen Captain John Hagerty take the reins from sophomore Jim Quinn, earning ten points in the last two games. In Ithaca, N.Y., Hagerty was double-teamed but still got loose for four goals and an assist. However, he did injure a toe in competing on the astro turf at Cornell.

"If we count on him solely, and they double-team him, then we're in trouble," Coach Bruce Munro said yesterday.

Munro will continue to employ his 2-2-2 offense, which has allowed Hagerty to come to the crease from behind the goal.

"It's kind of hard to change offense in mid-stream. But it looks much better than what we've been doing, and we're working it a lot better," Munro added.

The lack of depth at midfield and defense remains a nagging problem for the stickers. Only two midfield units are solid, and with Kittredge out, there are only four defenders for three spots.