Lacrosse Squads Spring Into Action

The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team has nicely fought its way to the NCAA title game every year for the last seven years.

That's not exactly the opponent a team like the Harvard men's lacrosse squad-which has nicely avoided the NCAA title game for every one of its seasons, period-would choose to face in its season opener.

"But we've got to play the Ivy teams later in the year," Crimson Co Captain Rob Sherlock says "So we've got no choice but to play top-ranked teams at the start [of the season]."

So Johns Hopkins had no choice but to crush totally a far out-classed Harvard squad Saturday at Baltimore, Md., in the season opener for both squads.

That the host Hopkins squad only won 23-2 was something of a minor miracle, considering that at halftime the score was 18-0.

The Crimson squad that has spent five out of the last six weeks unable to run full-scale practices-thanks to the snow-covered fields along the Charles River-could in no way compete with its far more talented and far more aggressive hosts.

Just one week of practice outside never allowed the Harvard squad to prepare properly for the nation's second-ranked squad, which easily toyed with and then disposed of the laxmen.

"Stuck in the gym for five out of six weeks," Sherlock said, "doesn't let you get a field sense early enough."

Add to that the fact that Hopkins was truly a better squad than Harvard, and routs like Saturday's don't strain the imagination.

"We're just not jelling as a team yet," the senior Sherlock added.

What hurt Harvard most, perhaps, were its rotating goalies, who saved less than half (11) of the number they let through (23). Still looking for the netminder to replace the graduated All-American of a year ago, Tim Pendergast, the Crimson used three goalies against Hopkins.

And after their combined performances, it's not so surprising that the Harvard squad is still looking for that number-one netminder. "No one has emerged [as the top goalie]." Sherlock said of the group that includes Mike Wache, T.J. Woel and freshman Mike Bergman.

To be sure, the trio didn't get too much help at the opposite end. The stingy Hopkins defense didn't help the Harvard efforts, either-it took goals from Chris Pujolz and Co-Captain Jarnie Wright to keep the Crimson (now 0-1) from suffering a shutout.