Laxmen Gear Up For Eagles

It is too early to write off the Harvard men's lacrosse team just because of the squad's early season losses to C. W. Post and Cornell.

The Crimson just barely lost to the ninth-ranked and undefeated Big Red, 9-8, on the turf at Cornell. And even if Brown did blow out eighteenth-ranked Post, 18-8, the Pioneers have the talent to beat just about anyone.

But if Harvard struggles against Boston College today at 3 p.m. in Chestnut Hill, Crimson afficianados should start worrying. For an Ivy yardstick, Brown thrashed the Eagles, 23-6, on March 12.

The Eagles traditionally play well-below the level of Ivy League competition. Last year, Harvard went up 9-0 on B.C. en route to a 13-5 blowout at Ohiri Field.

Prime-Time Performer: Few would have thought that Cornell senior defender Tony Morgan would net the gamewinning goal against Harvard in the Crimson's Ivy League opener last Saturday. Morgan had only netted two previous tallies during his four-year tenure with the Big Red.

But with two minutes left at Schoellkopf Field and the game tied, 7-7, Morgan scooped up a ground ball in the Cornell defensive zone, and went end-to-end, firing a shot by Crimson goaltender Chris Miller to secure the Cornell victory.

For that goal, Morgan was the only player named to this weeks Ivy League Honor Roll.

Morgan may not score often, but he certainly scores when it counts. The senior defender's other two goals both came in the 1988 NCAA Final Four, when the Big Red defeated Virginia, 17-6, to reach the final game against Syracuse.

Tiger Beat: Like Harvard, Princeton soared into the national lime-light last season. As the tenth-seeded squad in last year's NCAA tournament, the Tigers knocked off Johns Hopkins before losing to Yale in the quarterfinals.

But Princeton, unlike the Crimson, has continued its winning ways in this year's action. While Harvard dropped its first two contests and fell out of the top twenty, the Tigers exploded to a 4-1 record and were ranked third in the latest USILA poll.

Tiger victories included a season-opening 15-10 win over fading-dynasty Johns Hopkins, a 17-1 embarassment of Bucknell, and a 9-7 defeat of 18th-ranked Penn State in the first round of the Loyola George Transfer Tournament last weekend in Baltimore.

Princeton's lone loss actually demonstrates the strength of this year's squad more than it reveals any weakness. The Tigers nearly upset host Loyola, losing 10-9, in the finals of the George Transfer Tourney on Sunday. Runners-up in last year's NCAA tournament, Loyola is currently tied with Princeton for third in the nation.

Second-year Princeton Coach Bill Tierney's whiz-like recruiting has certainly lifted the Tigers to national prominence in a hurry. This year, Tierney brought in top-goaltending recruit Scott Bacigalupo.

Bacigalupo, starting over last year's All-Ivy Honorable Mention Jim Ardrey, has been spectacular between the twines thus far. The freshman netminder was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week after snagging the Mickey McFadden Unsung Hero Award at last weekend's Loyola tournament. Bacigalupo recorded 16 saves against Penn State and 24 stops during a spectacular performance in the final game.

Frosh Sensation: If Bacigalupo has been the Ivy rookie star on defense, Yale's Eric Zelko has certainly been the best Ivy freshman in the offensive zone.

Zelko earned Co-Ivy League Player of the Week after scoring an Eli freshman-record six times in Yale's 13-8 victory over St. John's last Wednesday. The frosh added a hat trick during Yale's 11-7 victory over Georgetown Saturday.

Zelko leads the Ivy League in scoring with 18 points. The Eli scoring sensation began his college career with five goals against Delaware on March 9.

Zelko shared Player of the Week honors with Brown junior Darren Lowe. Lowe, a Second-Team All-America last year, broke a Brown record with five goals and eight assists in the win over the Eagles.

An Eli Tribute: The players on the Yale men's lacrosse team will wear the number 27 on their helmets this season as a tribute to former Eli sophomore Christian Prince, who was murdered in New Haven on February 17.

Prince, a former high school All-America lacrosse player at Lawrenceville Prep School in New Jersey, was a freshman reserve defender on the Eli squad which made the Final Four last season. Eli Coach Mike Waldvogel had projected Prince as a first-stringer this season.

Fun In The Sun: Spring Break will not be all fun and games for the Crimson, which faces Army and Pennsylvania over the holiday period.

This Saturday, Harvard will face off against the 15th-ranked Cadets at 1 p.m. at Ohiri Field. The following Sunday, the Crimson challenges the Quakers, also at 1 p.m. at Ohiri. Last year, on the road over Spring Break against these two schools, the Crimson emerged victorious in both contests, with both wins coming in overtime.

The eight-day lapse between the Army and Penn games allows the Crimson to make its annual trip to Arizona. Aside from enjoying the sunny Southwestern weather, Harvard will scrimmage several club teams during its week-long stay.