M. Lax Burns Brown, 13-8

The men's lacrosse team did what good teams do--establish a big lead early and hold the opponent down for the remainder of the contest--in posting a convincing 13-8 victory against Ivy rival Brown.

Captain Mike Ferrucci had another big game, scoring four goals and three assists, and goalie Keith Cynar, outdueled his highly touted counterpart, Under-19 National Team goalie Strider Dixon, making 17 saves. HARVARD  13 BROWN  8

The defense was also dominant, holding Brown (1-7, 1-2 Ivy) to only one non-transition goal and pressuring a competent Brown attack into miscues all day long.

Senior Doug Crofton opened the scoring for Harvard (6-2, 3-0), taking a pass from Ferrucci and quick-sticking it past Dixon. Brown attackman Rob Lyle responded 14 seconds later with his own goal and drew a penalty in the process, but that was the last time the Bears would be tied for the remainder of the game.

Three Ferrucci goals sandwiched around an unassisted tally from Crofton gave Harvard a 5-1 lead halfway through the second period.

"Dixon is a hot-and-cold type goalie whose confidence can be rattled," said Crofton, "And we did that with a bunch of early goals."

Brown Captain Brett Sowers scored twice in the period but the lead was a comfortable 7-3 at halftime.

In the third quarter, sophomore attackman Lawson Devries converted a pass from senior Jim Bevilacqua and then spread the wealth, finding Ferrucci free in front of the crease for a lay-up.

The Bears hung in the game, narrowing the gap to three on two different occasions. Senior longstick Phil Chesler intercepted a pass at midfield and bounced a shot past Cynar. After Crofton scored his third goal of the game, Brown star Jed Dewick scored man-up to make the tally 10-7.

However, the Crimson defense anchored by Cynar kept the Bears from getting any closer. They forced a flaccid outside shot in a pivotal man-down situation and stopped the Bears in three transition situations.

Senior Jim Bevilacqua then iced the game, blowing by his defender from behind the net and tiptoeing along the edge of the crease to score.

Freshman Adam McGowan's sprint-and-score after an outright faceoff win and senior Owen Leary's goal were added gratification for a Harvard team that finally punished a quality opponent.

"This was by far the best game and team effort we have had this year," said Coach Scott Anderson. "Keith and the defense played great, and we generated a lot of offense, which is what we need to do to win."

The Crimson had 26 shots and nine goals in the first half and followed their game plan, forcing Brown to abandon the slow-down offense they prefer and play catch-up.

On the defensive side, the close unit looked fresher and stronger than their opponents and forced turnovers and weak shots all day. They played an aggressive brand of in-your-face defense, forcing the Bears away from the cage and making them tentative with the ball. The man-down unit also clicked and was successful in 5-6 opportunities.

"We have really been coming together as a defense," said Rob Hatch, "Our plan was to contain them in their half field set, be aggressive, and force them to take outside shots, and it worked."

The Crimson dispatched Brown with relative ease, but it was a significant win nonetheless, especially with a huge game coming up against No. 2 Prince-ton this weekend in Cambridge.

Harvard has won four consecutive games and has built momentum with victories over quality Ivy opposition. To beat Princeton, they will need to take it to the proverbial "next level" against the two-time defending national champions.

HARVARD,13-8 at Stevenson Field, Providence Brown  1  2  3  2  --  8 Harvard  3  4  2  4  --  13

G: Brown--Sowers (2), Lyle, Monfett, Sheridan, Chesler, DeWick, Sullivan: Harvard--Ferrucci (4), Crofton (3), Leary (2), DeVries (2), Bevilacqua, McGowan. A: Brown--Stain (2), Harvard--Ferrucci (3), Bevilacqua (2), Leary, DeVries. S: Brown--Dickson 17; Harvard--Cynar 17.