It was the great rematch of David and Goliath, and yet again David proved too much for his more talented opponent.

The 12th-ranked men's lacrosse team (2-1 overall) lost its first game of the season in the closing seconds of overtime to the upstart Hartford Hawks (2-1).

Hartford freshman Keith Anzelone finished the matter when he took a fast break feed five feet from the crease and beat Harvard goalie Rob Lyng (10 saves) for the game winner.

From the very outset, it seemed that the Crimson laxmen did not know that they were in a game. They sputtered on offense and were not containing on defense.

"We definitely sucked today," junior attackman Mike Ferrucci said. "We deviated from every game plan we've ever had."

Hartford struck fast and often, scoring three goals in the first six minutes, including a beautiful quick stick in which Hartford junior Jason Clark threaded the needle to Anzelone for the finish.

Harvard got on the board in the closing minutes of the first quarter when the Crimson man-up squad capitalized on a slashing penalty. Freshman Lawson DeVries drew the undermanned defense towards the rear of the cage and hit a cutting Ferrucci for the score.

Ferrucci, the leading Crimson scorer, recorded another spectacular day as he scored four goals and notched an assist in the losing effort.

But numbers don't satisfy like a win.

"That stuff doesn't matter," Ferrucci said. "It doesn't matter what one person does or what two people do. We're a team, and we lost as a team."

The Hawks quickly regained momentum in the beginning of the second quarter when they scored two quick goals to widen the gap to 5-1.

The Crimson refused to make it easy for the Hawks--they managed to exhibit a little of their 12th-ranked form when they reeled off four unanswered goals to knot the score at five at the end of the first half.

But, regardless of the score, it was Hartford that controlled the half. The Hawks held the ball for well over twenty minutes and stymied the Crimson offense.

"They should have blown us out in the first half," Ferrucci said. "We're not physical on defense, we didn't finish on offense--it's stuff we have to work on."

The first eight minutes of the second half saw the two squads exchange defensive stands, particularly noteworthy was the play of Hartford's senior goalie Chris LaMonica, who recorded 28 saves, many from close range.