Laxmen Slide By UVM, 14-7

It was a sloppy game. Played on a sloppy Ohiri field. With sloppy shooting. And sloppy defense. Sloppy officiating, too. There was even sloppy scheduling.

But, most importantly for the ninth-ranked Harvard men's lacrosse team, it was a sloppy 14-7 win over Vermont and the Crimson's fourth-straight victory.

Yesterday's game almost wasn't played at all. Slated for Wednesday afternoon in Vermont, unplayable field conditions forced the game's postponement and relocation to Cambridge.

The change of plans certainly didn't affect Crimson Co-Captain Rob Griffith, who scored four goals to continue his torrid shooting streak.

"I'm not so much of a one-on-one dodger," said Griffith, who has scored nine goals in the last two games. "It's more a matter of hustle and being in the right place at the right time."

The Catamounts enjoyed an early 2-0 lead, but two goals by Griffith quickly tied the score. David Kramer put the Crimson (5-1,1-1 Ivy) ahead with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter with a blazing shot into the upper corner of the Catamount cage, the first of his two goals.

By halftime, the scoreboard read 8-3. Vermont never came close again, despite enjoying 11 man-up situations in the game, assisted by Crimson carelessness and the referees' generous whistle-blowing.

"We knew we were going to win. We were just the better team," Griffith said. "It should have been more of a blowout, but we didn't really keep up our intensity the whole game."

Mark Donovan, the Crimson's face-off specialist, and Ralph Vogel, his linemate on the face-off unit, added two goals apiece to add to the final margin.

Donovan, who has led his midfield cohorts to a 68 percent face-off success rate on the season, has entered the scoring column before. But Vogel is less accustomed to the limelight.

"I'm kind of a second- or third-line kind of guy," Vogel said. "I scored once in a scrimmage last year against Arizona State, but I guess that one gets an asterisk."

"Face-offs are kind of like special teams in football," Vogel said.

"You work hard, and hopefully you come up with the ground ball," Vogel added. "Dono is a premiere face-off artist. He has a great draw and he never misses a scoop."

Uninspirational

The Crimson's convincing win, however uninspired, should reinforce their top-10 ranking, crucial in acquiring an invitation to the post-season NCAA tournament. Next week, the Crimson will place their winning streak on the line on the road against St. John's and 15th-ranked Adelphi.

THE NOTEBOOK: Griffith was named Ivy Player of the Week for his five-goal outburst against Pennsylvania last Saturday. The senior midfielder credits Brad Raymond's advice--focus on the net, not on the goalie--in breaking his shooting slump...Not to be outdone, Crimson netminder Chris Miller, who made 13 saves in the 13-9 Penn win, was named Ivy Rookie of the Week.