Laxwomen Crush Cornell, 18-4; Finn Scores 5 to Lead Attack

The Harvard women's lacrosse team strengthened its claim to its second-place ranking in New England by breezing past Cornell, 18-4, Saturday at Soliders Field.

The stickwomen evinced their scoring power early in the game and took an 11-2 halftime lead. In the second half, the defense held Cornell to two goals, and the Crimson went on to score seven more to cap off the 18-4 win.

Ace freshman attack Francesca Denhartog scored four goals while freshman attack Maureen Finn had an excellent game with five goals and three assists.

The victory brought the team record to an impressive 8-5 as the season approaches a close.

Confident of beating Cornell, coach Carole Kleinfelder used the game to help improve the team's passing game and coordinate offensive attacks. The coach cited poor passing as one reason for last week's loss to top-ranked UMass.

Denhartog said the coach's emphasis on passing had worked so that it is now "ingrained into our heads to pass and work together." Finn agreed, saying, "We have been working together much better and more effectively now."

Looking Ahead

Denhartog thought the better cooperation would give the team confidence for the New England regionals at Dartmouth starting May 6. "People don't realize how good they [Harvard] are."