Things are just not supposed to happen this easily, at least not for the 1984 Harvard men's lacrosse team.
But with 30 seconds remaining in Saturday's game and the score tied at 11, the Crimson took possession and after 19 seconds a Rob Hawley pass and a Jamie Wright shot all the laxmen had to do was sit back relax and enjoy their 12-11 victory over C.W. Post at Ohiri Field.
Things weren't always that easy, though
The Crimson took an early lead, and it looked as though the laxmen might have as much fun as the raftsmen out on the Charles Harvard attackmen Tom Corcoran. Hawley and Peter Follows had no trouble penetrainig the cumbersome but aggressive Post defense for the open shot.
Things looked like they couldn't be easier when early in the second quarter Follows (1 goal, 2 assists), tightly covered, broke to the right of the crease and threw in a spectacular 20-ft behind-the-head shot for his 18th goal of the season and a 3-1 Crimson lead.
But things changed quickly Aided by four Harvard penalties and an aggressive attack Post managed to unsettle the Crimson and even the score at three 6:39 into the second quarter.
Post went ahead for the first time when midfielder Jim Bovich beat freshman goalie Mike Bergmann after a Harvard penalty for a 5-4 lead. But in the remaining two minutes strikes by Tim McCaffrey (3 goals) and Corcoran gave the Crimson a 6-5 half time lead.
The second stanza saw much the same action as the first. The Crimson continued to isolate men at the point to challenge the Pioneer defense. "Our game plan," said Coach Bob Scalise, "was to dodge out front and read the slides."
Harvard consistently found the open man, only to have the shot stopped by Post's ubiquitous goalie Chris Anglim. Anglim posted 24 saves for the afternoon and was a key factor in the effective Pioneer clear.
Said Scalise, "Their goalie was excellent. He made some good stops and played a great game."
Post had only slightly more lock against Bergmann (18 saves). The Pioneers' fast paced attack constantly kept Bergmann under pressure, but it was not until late in the fourth quarter, when Post took advantage of some sloppy Harvard ball-handling that the Crimson were in any trouble.
Bergmann and Company had just killed a 30-second holding penalty when an errant pass during the clear landed in a Pioneer's pocket and resulted in a 4-on-3 last break Three quick passes later Pete Sanders had put Post ahead 11-10 with three minutes remaining.
Harvard wasted no time in retaliating, though After calling time out, the laxmen outmuseled Post on the face off and with one fewer pass McCaffrey quick sticked his third goal of the day and tied the score at 11 with 2:50 remaining.
The Pioneers dominated possession for the next two minutes, but again Bergmann, last week's Ivy Rookie of the Week, made the saves and led the Crimson clear.
With half a minute remaining. Scalise called time out.
After more praying than plotting. Hawley (4 assists) took possession at the point, and while the sky didn't cloud over and the Charles didn't part, the Pioneer defense did, leaving Wright open for the pass and the easy score.
"Our game plan was very successful, but their goalie made some great saves," said Scalise. "I just kept telling them to keep doing it and they'd fall, and they did."
THE NOTEBOOK: The Crimson, now 7-5, play Adelphi in New York May 5. Goals; H, Tim McCaffrey 3, Tom Corcoran 2, Chris Pujols 2, Jamia Wright 2, Martin Garcia, Peter Follows, Rob Hurlbut; CWP, Pete Sanders 2, Jim Dobreff 2, Tom Germano 2, Wade Richter, Rich Mullen, Jim Bovich, Sal Mattese, John Campbell.
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