Laxmen Excited About New Season

The Harvard men's lacrosse team has spent all winter waiting for this.

The 1995 campaign is special for the Crimson. It is a season the squad hopes to launch itself into the national lacrosse elite.

"This is the most talent I've seen since I've been here," junior Tim Browne said. "There is a confidence among the team."

And for good reason. The team is returning all but one of last season's starters (Mike Porter '94), so it has a reserve of experience and tight-game seasoning essential to any championship contender.

On offense, Harvard has a slew of attackmen that will give goaltenders nightmares.

Junior Mike Eckert, last season's point leader for the Crimson with 56, will return to anchor the offense.

Senior Jamie Ames will also be an integral cog in the Crimson offensive machine, bringing his 34 points from last season--good enough for third on the Crimson scoring chart--into this one.

The freshman class will be represented on the offense by Mike Ferrucci.

Last weekend at Cornell, Ferrucci notched his first collegiate goal--eight seconds into regulation.

Not to be outdone, Ames and Eckert posted five goals apiece to pace Harvard's 14-11 victory over the Big Red last weekend.

"Our offensive unit is one of the best in the Ivy League," Browne said. "I think they can average 14 goals a game."

Sophomore goalie Rob Lyng noted a change in the Crimson's offensive strategy in last weekend's Cornell contest.

"There was a better ball control offense, a more patient offense," he said. "This year, guys are making smart passes and don't try to force things."

The midfield, lacking in depth last season, will feature two full lines rather than the lone line they played last year.

The added line will relieve co-captain Steve Gaffney, junior Chris Wojcik, and senior Spencer Rice of the 60 minute duties they faced last season.

On that second line will be another newcomer, freshman Lou Bevilacqua.

"He's one of those strong areas that will be overlooked," sophomore goalie Rob Lyng said. "He's very quick, and teams can't keep up with him."

And the return of faceoff specialist junior Pat McCulloch will improve Harvard's showing in that area.

Last season, the squad finished with a 47.3 winning percentage on faceoffs. Last week, with McCulloch taking the bulk of the faceoffs, that percentage jumped to 53.6.

To those who followed last season, the defense should be easily recognizable.

Led by co-captains Creighton Reed and Mason Wynocker, Harvard's defenders will be operating more of a zone defense than the man-to-man they worked in last season.

"It will be more of a team-oriented defense," Lyng said. "If you beat a man in one area, there's another guy's area you have to go through."

Also returning to the defense are short-stick midfielder senior Jon Ponosuk and long-stick defender senior Sean Lavin. They'll be joined by sophomore Jeremy Linzee, who will move into the starting lineup after playing a reserve role last season.

The team's schedule sports some forbidding competition.

In a two-week stretch of April (April 1-19), the Crimson will face Duke, vermont, perennial NCAA invite Notre Dame, Ivy powerhouse Brown, and defending NCAA champion Princeton.

"That two-and-a-half week stretch is huge," Gaffney said. "It will determine how our-season goes."

The Crimson feels its up to the challenge.

"We feel we are at the level of Brown and Princeton, " Browne said. "And if we can beat a team like Notre Dame, it will improve our [NCAA Tournament] chances."

The Crimson takes on the Eagles of Boston College today, kicking off a season many feel won't end until the NCAA Tournament in May.

"We are optimistic and confident, but we know there's work to be done," Browne said.