Cornell Edges Laxmen, 8-7

Old rivalries never die--they just repeat themselves.

The Harvard men's lacrosse team knows its history: for the past three years, the Crimson has traded victories with Cornell in nail-biting one-goal games. Two years ago, Cornell edged the Crimson in Ithaca on a late-game tally. Last year, the series returned to Ohiri Field, and Harvard withstood a last-minute Big Red onslaught to emerge victorious, 12-11.

On Saturday, the series returned to Schoellkopf Field. And the cycle continued.

With Harvard (0-2 overall, 0-1 Ivy)ahead, 5-3, at intermission, Cornell (3-0, 1-0) applied tight defensive pressure and fought back on offense, netting five goals en route to a dramatic 8-7 victory over the slumping Crimson.

After an unassisted goal by prolific freshman attacker Mike Porter brought Harvard back, knotting the score at 7-7 with 3:15 left, the two teams traded posessions in the waning moments of the game.

With two minutes left, long-stick Tony Morgan charged into the offensive zone and fired the ball into the corner of the Crimson cage, putting Cornell on top, 8-7.

The Crimson was unable to produce in the final seconds, losing two key possessions in the Cornell zone, one off a missed pass and the other off a Mick Cavouti turnover.

"It was a hard-fought game," Tri-Captain Dan O'Sullivan said. "we led the whole game. We just ran out of gas."

Harvard suffered primarily from its inability to clear the ball upfield in the late going. After the first half, Cornell began applying its notorious "10-man ride," where the goalie comes out of the crease and plays defense. The maneuver forces the team with posession to beat opposing defenders off the run. But as the game went on Harvard grew increasingly unable to do that.

Fatigue played a big role in Harvard's loss. With Mike Tauckus sitting out with a shoulder injury, Harvard pushed junior midfielder Brian Connelly back to defense.

Connelly, who normally plays defensive midfield, played with a short-stick alongside long-sticks Mike Kramer and Dennis Murphy. While Cornell's attempts to exploit Harvard's weakness came up short for most of the game, the three defenders, weary from playing the entire game, struggled in the final frame to clear the ball past the defensive zone.

"As you get more and more fatigued, it gets harder and harder to beat your man," junior Mike Kramer said. "We had trouble getting it out of the defensive zone. We were worn down."

In the final period, Harvard committed five penalties, and coupled with its "motion-offense"--where it patiently works the ball around the offensive zone for up to a minute before it shoots--the Big Red took advantage of Harvard's lack of depth.

"That motion offense really wore out our defense," Cavouti said. "They probably had the ball for five-sixths of the game."

Cornell also picked up 41 ground balls, against Harvard's 29, adding even more to its time of possession.

Despite the numerous man-down situations, the Harvard defense remained firm through most of the game, as Cornell turned in a dismal 1-11 on man-up opportunities. The one conversion, a Joe Lando tally off a Mike Kramer slashing penalty, gave Cornell its first lead of the game, 7-6, at 7:55 in the fourth quarter.

Goalie Chris Miller turned in another strong performance in the cage, registering 20 saves.

Though the Crimson was unable to produce in the final moments, Harvard's offense clicked for much of the game, especially in the first half. Fifty-six seconds into the contest, O'Sullivan fired a close-range shot by Cornell netminder Tim Shea. Tri-Captain Tim Reilly, Porter, and Cavouti also added goals, pushing the Crimson out in front 4-1 after the first quarter.

The Big Red, however, never lost their poise, battling back behind powerhouse midfielder John Busse, who registered three goals and one assist on the day.

Cornell, 8-7

at Ithaca, NY Cornell  3-5-8 HARVARD  5-2-7

Goals: C--John Busse 3, Joe Lando 2, Kevin McCar thy, John Snow, Tony Morgan; H--Mick Cavouti 2, Mike Porter 2, Tim Reilly, Dan O'Sullivan, David Chaney.

Assists: C--John Snow, Kevin McCarthy, John Busse, John Gaensbauer, Ben Smith; H--Mick Cavouti, Chad Prusmack.

Shots: C--39, H--28.

Saves: C--Tim Shea 16; H--Chris Miller 20.

Goals: C--John Busse 3, Joe Lando 2, Kevin McCar thy, John Snow, Tony Morgan; H--Mick Cavouti 2, Mike Porter 2, Tim Reilly, Dan O'Sullivan, David Chaney.

Assists: C--John Snow, Kevin McCarthy, John Busse, John Gaensbauer, Ben Smith; H--Mick Cavouti, Chad Prusmack.

Shots: C--39, H--28.

Saves: C--Tim Shea 16; H--Chris Miller 20.