SEASON RECAP: Growing Pains for Rising Lax Program

If you put together a signature win over Duke, the third-best recruiting class in the country, and a preseason No. 12 ranking, expectations become almost impossible to meet.

Despite seeming to have a disappointing season on paper, the Harvard men’s lacrosse team (6-6, 2-4 Ivy) took an important step in 2010 toward asserting itself in the static hierarchy that has marked Ivy League lacrosse for decades.

“I feel like this season was another step in the right direction after the success we had last year,” said sophomore attack and leading scorer Jeff Cohen. “When you go .500 there were clearly several disappointments, but you cannot measure a season only in wins and losses.”

After upsetting then-No. 5 Duke in the first game of its 2009 campaign, the Crimson began to garner attention, and people wondered what second-year coach John Tillman and the young Harvard squad would be able to accomplish.

Despite missing out on the postseason in 2009, the Crimson finished with a winning record for the first time since 2004, and its only three conference losses—to NCAA tournament selectees Brown, Cornell, and Princeton—were by a combined four goals.

The return of leading scorers Cohen and junior Dean Gibbons, in addition to Harvard’s heralded recruiting class, earned the team a No. 12 ranking in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll coming into 2010.

Despite the hype, the Crimson knew its path would not be as easy as some suggested. In addition to playing the five teams that defeated Harvard in 2009, the Crimson’s 2010 slate also included a Harvard Stadium rematch against Duke, which opened the season ranked No. 2 in the country.

The season began smoothly enough with a 16-6 victory over Canisius. The following game saw Harvard head to the nation’s capital to take on Georgetown. Although the Crimson led for the majority of the first half, the Hoyas used a 6-1 second-half run to put Harvard away. A late comeback fell just short as the Crimson lost, 13-12—the same exact score by which it lost to Georgetown in 2009.

The young Harvard team would prove its resilience, going on a three-game winning streak that included a 14-13 road victory over nationally-ranked Massachusetts.

In its first league game of the season, the Crimson was smothered by Brown early. Sophomore goalie Christian Coates allowed five goals in the first quarter while recording only one save en route to an early 6-1 Bears lead. Freshman goalie Harry Krieger stepped in for the last three frames and kept Harvard in the game, but another late rally left the team in a quick hole in the Ivy League standings after the 13-11 loss to Brown.

After a victory against Dartmouth to even its league record, Harvard took a break from Ivy action to welcome Duke to Harvard Stadium on a Friday night that saw a record-breaking number of fans in attendance. But the bright lights didn’t faze the Blue Devils, who opened an 8-0 lead in the first quarter and coasted to a 14-5 rout.

The Crimson next traveled to Ithaca, N.Y. to face Cornell and overcame an early 5-1 deficit to take the lead in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Ivy League Player of the Year Rob Pannell fought back and took control for the Big Red, scoring the last two goals of the game to give Cornell the 13-12 victory over Harvard.

After being upset by Ivy basement-dweller Penn the following week, the Crimson returned to Cambridge for its last and most historic home game. Backed by timely scoring and a solid performance by emerging starter Krieger in the cage, Harvard upset Princeton, 11-8—its first win against the Tigers since 1990. The win put the Crimson back in the postseason picture, granting Harvard a win-and-in scenario with one game left at archrival Yale.

Despite taking a 6-3 lead in the second half, the Crimson was not able to withstand the staunch Bulldog defense and was held scoreless over the final 10:01 of the game as it watched Yale score two goals in the final nine minutes to win, 9-8.

Although the season finale left Harvard out of the postseason picture, the squad moved a definitive step closer to proving it can compete with the best, regardless of conference.

“We had some ups and downs [this season] and had our chances to make a decent season a great one,” sophomore attack Kevin Vaughan said. “Looking back, though, it’s most important to recognize the seniors and all they’ve done for the program in their four years at Harvard. That’s a great bunch of guys, and their influence will be felt for years to come.”

—Staff writer Colin Whelehan can be reached at whelehan@fas.harvard.edu.