In spite of their comely conquest of the Washington Lacrosse Club a week ago, coach Bruce Munro's stickmen still lack the team coordination and unity they will need against stiff Ivy League competition. Midfields are unsettled, the attack has not jelled, and the defense needs a lot of work.
In an attempt to come up with better combinations, Munro will gamble with different personnel and new play formations in today's game at M.I.T. Experimenting against the Engineers, Harvard will move Mike Tylor to the first midfield along with high scorer Pete Wood and "Tink" Leroy.
Junior Wally Whitney will give new balance to the second middle unit of Joe Barton and Joe Prahl. Munro will also be going with a new extra-man trio--combining Wood, Barton, and Prahl from the first and second units.
Most of the recent innovations are geared to take maximum advantage of the Crimson's midfield talent. Wood, Prahl, and Leroy all had good spring trips and Barton's current efforts have been termed "outstanding" by Munro.
"Tink" Gunnoe, in his new role as a wing attackman, contributed 12 assists on the Crimson's tour of the Southlands, but the ambidextrous junior still isn't hitting his prime target--crease attackman Lou Williams. Williams, held to three goals in as many games, collected 45 markers last year on the strength of Grady Watt's pin-point passing.
In light of these Crimson growing pains, M.I.T. should test but not tax Harvard in today's outing. The traditionally inept Engineers lost to mediocre Hofstra earlier in the season. Boasting a stingy secondary but a papier-mache offense, M.I.T. managed only three goals off the Dutchmen while allowing five.
Last year's varsity stomped the Engineers 15-3. The current Crimson may not equal this mark, but the outcome should be the same
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