The Crimson lacrosse team travels to Massachusetts Maritime today to open the most promising lacrosse season in recent memory. Last year, Harvard rushed to a 10-5 record, its first winning slate since 1971 and its largest win total in more than a decade.

Fifteen of last year's 26 letter winners were freshmen or sophomores. Last season's kiddie corps is now back with a year's experience, two veterans who took last year off came back this spring to win starting jobs, and coach Bob Scalise has attracted the school's best crop of freshmen in years.

After ranking 13th in the country last spring, Scalise says this year's goal is to break into the top ten. But the coach has also clearly considered what it will take to qualify for the eight-team NCAA tournament.

Harvard entertained hopes of being invited to that slugfest last season but saw its dreams go down the drain with an overtime loss to Brown and an 18-7 pummelling at the hands of UMass. Scalise has concluded that while a 13-2 record would guarantee the Crimson a shot this year, there might still be an outside chance with three losses. But you could kiss the bid goodbye with four setbacks.

Posting a record of that caliber is a pretty stiff order, considering the heavy schedule confronting the Crimson. In the Ivy League, Harvard must face Cornell, which merely went 16-0 and won the National Championship last year, along with perennial contenders Penn, Brown and Princeton. Outside the conference, the stickmen must contend with college-division powers C.W. Post and Adelphi, as well as UMass, which as 17 seniors back from the team that blasted Harvard last year. Hofstra, a squad that made the top ten last spring and edged the Crimson on Long Island, 11-7, is also on the card.

While there were only seven seniors on the Crimson's 1976 squad, they made a great contribution. Gone are attackman Billy Tennis, who scored 63 points to lead the team last year, midfielder Kevin McCall (29-5-34), who garnered a spot on the second All-Ivy team and shared the team's Most Valuable Player award with Tennis, and second team All-Ivy defenseman Mike Belmont. Three regular midfielders--Bruce Bruckman, Andy Gellis, and Giles Whalen--also picked up diplomas last June.

So Scalise has had to use his freshmen en masse to rebuild the midfield units. Yardling Mike Ward, a two-time All-City choice at Tennis's high school alma mater in Baltimore, joins regulars Bobby Mellen (15-3-18) and Bill Forbush (8-2-10) on the first trio.

Two 1976 high school All-Americans, Pete Predun and Brian Finglass, will man the second unit along with Mike Doherty, a speedy performer who took last year off.

The third midfield will handle the faceoffs. The center will be co-captain Sandy White. Under the tutelage of assistant coach Jeff Wagner, a faceoff terror who won All-Ivy honors at Brown in the early '70s, Harvard faceoff men were among the best in the nation last year. the Crimson triumphed on two thirds of its attempts and outfaced every team it met except for Brown, which dominated the midfield battles when White was injured. Joining the senior specialist on this unit is Jamie Egasti (6-5-11). a reserve attackman in 1976, and sophomore Jerry Keleher.

The fourth midfield is notable more for its speed and pure athletic ability than for its lacrosse accomplishment. Jimmy Ossyra, up from the B-team, is joined by freshman Dave Wigglesworth and Steve Saiontz.

Burly Chris Doherty (6-2-8), the starting fullback on the football team, had to face a shoulder operation this winter, but will hopefully return to action in time for the Ivy League battles later in the season.

Old Folks

When you turn away from the inexperienced midfields, however, you see nothing but veterans. The big gun on attack this year will be three-year starter Chico McKenzie (36-9-45), who led the team in scoring with 43 points two years ago and had another fine campaign in 1976. A good season would leave him second on the Harvard career lists in both goals and points scored.

McKenzie will team up with junior playmaker Steve Martin (12-41-53), who quarterbacked the Crimson offense last season. Claiming Tennis's vacated spot is sophomore Gordie Nelson (7-2-9). Providing the back-ups will be exmidfielder Mike Faught (7-3-10), speedy freshman Gary Pedroni, and senior Phil Kemp, last year's B-team captain.

Even though Kenny Sears, a starter for most of last season, quit the team to concentrate on his studies, the talent is overflowing on defense.