Cambridge, MA - Senior attackman Jim Bevilacqua (Manhasset, NY)
netted five goals-including the game-tying and game-winning goals-and
sophomore netminder Keith Cynar (Massapequa, NY) made a huge save with five
seconds to go in the contest to lift the 20th-ranked Crimson to a 9-8 win
over Ivy rival Cornell at Ohiri Field.
The Crimson opened the game with three unanswered goals in the
first quarter but the Big Red stormed back with four straight goals of its
own-including two extra man tallies-in the end of the first and start of
the second period to take a 4-3 lead with 10:47 to go in the first half.
The two teams traded a pair of goals during in the final 10 minutes of the
second quarter and Cornell held a 6-5 lead at intermission.
In the third, each team added a goal. At the start of what would
be a frenzied fourth quarter, Harvard knotted the game on senior midfielder
Owen Leary's (Cortland, NY) diving goal at 12:07. The Crimson then took an
8-7 lead with 11 minutes to go on Bevilacqua's first key tally in the
fourth period. The Big Red answered with an extra man goal at 6:42 by
junior attackman Josh Morgan (Annapolis, MD), his second tally of the day.
Bevilacqua netted his fifth and most heralded goal to put Harvard
ahead for good off a pass from Leary with 2:50 remaining in the contest.
Cynar, who made 19 saves, held off the Cornell offense in the final minutes
of the game and had his biggest stop with five seconds to go. Sophomore
Rich Yost (Westminster, MD) recorded 11 saves for the Big Red.
Harvard improves to 5-2 overall and 2-0 Ivy while Cornell slips to
3-4 overall and 2-1 Ivy. The Crimson travels to Brown on Wednesday while
the Big Red hosts No. 2 Syracuse on Tuesday.
MEN'S LACROSSE GAME SUMMARY (Harvard 9, Cornell 8)
Cornell 2 4 1 1 - 8
Harvard 3 2 1 3 - 9
Goals: (H) Jim Bevilacqua, 5; Doug Crofton, 2; Mike Ferrucci 1, Owen Leary
1; (C) David Key, 2; Josh Morgan 2; Sean Steinwald, 2; Glenn Minnerley 1;
Pat Dutton 1.
Assists: (H) Ferrucci, 2; Leary 2; Lawson DeVries, 2; (C) Ian Hafner 2;
Key, 1; Morgan 1.
Saves: (H) Keith Cynar, 19 saves, 8 gaa, 60 min; (C) Rich Yost, 11 saves,
9 gaa, 60 min.
