No. 11 Men's Lacrosse Buckles Down, Holds Off Holy Cross, 9-7

ictured: Harry Krieger earned his first collegiate victory, making seven saves.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot Photography

LaxUnited Video Highlights

WORCESTER, Mass. – The 11th-ranked Harvard men’s lacrosse team overcame an early 4-1 deficit, as the Crimson defeated intrastate rival Holy Cross by a score of 9-7 Saturday afternoon before 581 fans at Holy Cross Field. Dean Gibbons continued his stellar play, netting four goals, while Jeff Cohen, who was recently named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, scored twice.

Making his first collegiate start, Harry Krieger recorded seven saves to earn the win, while Ben Smith, Billy Geist, Jeff Molinari and Alex White all contributed three ground balls apiece.

After Jason Duboe gave Harvard, which improves to 2-1 on the season, a 1-0 lead 1:01 into the first quarter, the Crusaders, who drop to 0-4, opened up a 4-1 advantage with four goals in just over three minutes. The Crimson regrouped, as Cohen and Gibbons netted scores in the final minutes of the first, pulling Harvard within one, 4-3.

In the second, Harvard extended its scoring streak, notching the first four goals of the quarter. Gibbons teamed up with Cohen to tie the game, 4-4, at 11:17, and then Travis Burr and Gibbons tallied man-up goals at 9:10 and 2:24 respectively. With one second remaining in the half, Gibbons gave Harvard a three-goal lead, 7-4, with his third score of the game.

The Crimson kept Holy Cross off the scoreboard for more than 27 minutes until Chris Smirti netted back-to-back goals midway through the third quarter, making it a 7-6 game in favor of Harvard. Goals by Terry White and Gibbons later on in the third built the Crimson’s lead back up to three, 9-6. Holy Cross managed the only score of the fourth quarter, as the Crimson held on for the 9-7 non-conference victory.

Harvard owned the edge in ground balls, 29-25, while the Crusaders won 11-of-20 faceoffs. The Crimson was near perfect on clear attempts, going 19-for-21. Harvard’s next opponent is also from the Bay State, as the Crimson visits No. 18 Massachusetts Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m.