His shot was incredibly accurate and rarelyfailed him. His quality showed against thetoughest opponents with at least two goals againstBrown, Princeton and Notre Dame. Crofton'sconnection with Ferrucci was uncanny at alltimes--their bread-and-butter was a give-and-goplay from the top which always seemed to work fora shot.

It would be hard to say anything more aboutMike Ferrucci. A gifted player and leader, hisrecognized excellence lifted the play of everyonearound him. He has solidified his place as perhapsthe greatest player in Harvard lacrosse historywith a plethora of awards and impressivestatistics.

However, his most important legacy to hisyounger teammates will be the lesson thatbrilliance and success on the field are a productof commitment and hard work off of it.

The seniors leave behind them a legacy ofexcellence, and with only one junior returning, tosay they will be sorely missed absurdlyunderstates the case.

Despite the decision of the NCAA selectioncommittee, Harvard ended the season playing itsbest lacrosse.

"What was impressive and also disappointingabout this year was that, with the exception of atough Hobart loss, we did everything we had to doafter the Princeton [loss] and won all ourremaining games," said Coach Scott Anderson.

Next year's team will have difficulty achievingas much, but that's no surprise. The 1998 Crimsonwas one of the finest teams in Harvard history,which is exactly how it should be remembered