The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Sports April 8, 2005

Men’s lacrosse earns their second straight win
 
The Hammer: Junior Vance “The Hammer” Murphy (#14) unleashes a devastating hit on a helpless Washington and Jefferson player.
 

On the way back from Spring Break, in Hilton Head the men’s lacrosse team stopped by Philadelphia, PA just long enough to pick up their first win of the season against Neumann College. Leading the Yeomen with seven goals was sophomore Bryan Harfenist.

Teammates say Harfenist’s impeccable game sense enabled him always to be in the right place at the right time. Junior Will Jaffee proved to be another key ingredient in the Yeomen’s 15-10 victory over Neumann. Jaffee totaled an impressive six goals, often charging one-on-one towards the goal.

Junior goalie Jared Pickard had yet another fantastic game, repeatedly denying the Neumann attack from point-blank range. For the first time this season, the Yeomen felt like all the pieces of their game came together. Both the attack and defensive units were on, proving to be an unstoppable combination. “A big ingredient against Neumann was our ability to play strong for the entire game. This time we fought through and the elements of our game came together,” commented first-year Drew Terry.

Confidence also played an epic role in the win against Neumann. “Our biggest strength is when we get confident. We basically went into that game with the mindset that we were the better team – something we need to always do,” said Jaffee.

The victory over Neumann College was the culmination of a week of hard work. The team felt that their Spring Break practices in the warm weather helped to advance their game. “We had a few pretty grueling practices in the heat, something none of us were used to, and because of it I think everyone felt it was easier to run against Neumann in the colder weather. As a team, those practices in Hilton Head seemed to flow more efficiently. We did a much better job communicating problems and finding solutions quickly. That is definitely a huge step in my mind,” said Jaffee.

After the break, the Yeomen won their second game in a row in their first home game of the season. Beautiful weather drew a large crowd that witnessed an 11-10 victory over Washington and Jefferson University. The Yeomen jumped out early on the Presidents, leading 6-2 at the half. They later climbed out to an 11-7 lead, but the Presidents came back and drew within a goal with a minute remaining. Their effort fell short as the Yeomen earned their second win.

The offense was powered by a barrage of goal scorers for the Yeomen. Jaffee had four goals, while Harfenist, junior Dave Schlussman and sophomore Ian Dias had two apiece. Junior midfielder Andrew Crosby also added a goal.

Defensively the Yeomen stifled the Presidents with a suffocating man-on-man defense until the fourth quarter when dehydration and fatigue of the Yeomen defensemen allowed the Presidents to score several in a row.

The Yeomen will be in action again on Saturday in their second home game of the year.
 
 

   


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