The Harvard men's lacrosse team will be looking for its first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament today. The Ivy League co-champions host Notre Dame (9-6) at 3:30 p.m. in The Stadium.

The winner of this afternoon's game will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., Sunday to face the fourth-seeded Tar Heels in the quarterfinals.

In its two other appearances, the Crimson (11-2 overall, 5-1 Ivy) lost to Johns Hopkins in a 1980 quarterfinal game, 16-12, and to Navy in a first-round game two years ago, 10-9.

This is Notre Dame's first-ever tournament appearance. The Irish qualified for the slot reserved for the top team in the Midwest and the West in the Eastern-dominated sport.

"It's really good for the sport to have a Western team," sophomore Chip Linehan said. "It helps to spread the sport."

The Irish laid its claim to the bid by strengthening its schedule to include Loyola, Adelphi and Cornell. More importantly, Notre Dame, under second year Coach Mike Corrigan, beat Ohio State, Michigan State and Air Force, its top competitors for the spot.

Harvard is seeded fifth, but has struggled recently. After a thrilling double-overtime win over second ranked Yale, the Crimson has lost to unranked New Hampshire and beaten unheralded Dartmouth, 15-10.

"We had a letdown after Yale," senior Dave Kramer said. "We made a lot of mistakes [against New Hampshire and Dartmouth]."

Notre Dame has lost to two teams that Harvard has beaten. The Fighting Irish fell to Cornell, 14-8, and dropped a 16-5 decision to Adelphi. The Crimson defeated these teams, 12-11 and 15-13, respectively.

Against Cornell, Notre Dame came close to pulling off the upset of the year. Trailing, 8-7, at the start of the fourth quarter, Cornell reeled off seven straight goals for the win. Today, Notre Dame has another chance to send a shock through the lacrosse world.

The Irish are the clear underdogs entering the contest, having suffered losses to Division III powers Ohio Wesleyan and Denison.

"It's nice to go in as the underdog," said Co-Captain Dave Carey, a local product from Lincoln-Sudbury High School. "I saw Harvard play a lot when I was younger."

Attackers Mike Sullivan and Brian McHugh have combined for 91 points. Sullivan has been the set-up man with 32 assists, while McHugh has been the finisher with 32 goals.

"Their defense is big, strong and physical," McHugh said. "We need to play settled offense."

Any hope of Irish fortune also rests on the quick reflexes of goalie Chris Parent. The freshman registered a Notre Dame record 29 saves in an 18-3 loss to third-ranked Lovola.

The Irish also must control the tempo of the game. Though Princeton was unsuccessful in its bid to play a slowdown game against the Crimson, it may be Notre Dame's best chance for victory.

"The main thing for us is that we need to take the air out of the ball, slow things down and try to control the tempo of the game," Coach Kevin Corrigan said. "[Harvard has] got an awfully good team."

THE NOTEBOOK: Tickets, based on NCAA policy, will be on sale at the gate for $5 for adults and $2 for fans under age 12...Seniors Chris Bentley and Dave Kramer will be reunited with their Cold Spring Harbor High School teammate, Notre Dame attacker Rob Lynn. Harvard assistant Rich van der Broek '88 will be reunited with former teammate and current Notre Dame goalie Coach Mark Vita '86...It is the fourth year that the NCAA has admitted a team from the West or Midwest as the twelfth seed. In past years, Michigan State has lost the first round game twice and Air Force was gunned down in its only appearance...If the Irish win, their quarterfinal game in Chapel Hill will force the squad's seniors to miss their graduation Sunday.