Men's lax guns to victory

There may be a berth in the NCAA tournament for men's lacrosse, and Brian Hunt's, TD '02, goals are bringing it closer and closer.

Hunt gave the Bulldogs a combined six goals and 11 points in wins against Colgate (14-8) and number-14 Penn (13-8). He currently leads the Ivy League in scoring with 21 points, while teammates Marko Lujic, TC '02, and Mike Scaglione, PC '03, are tied for third place in Ivy League standings with 11 points each.

MELISSA GARREN/YH Can men's lacrosse take its shooting power past Cornell and Princeton, all the way to the NCAAs?.

Ryan Floyd, BK '03, is returning from an injury to add his superior shooting talent to the starting attack line with Hunt and Scaglione. Floyd had a standout freshman year, during which he broke the school record for most points in a game by a rookie with five goals and six assists against Rutgers and finished third on the team in points with 32 for the season. "Our team is a much better shooting team than last year, but all our shooters are scoring points, meaning that they are playing unselfishly," midfielder Tucker Foote, JE '02, said.

Yet even with superb individual talent, the important element for a winning team is smooth transition and communication between defense, midfield, and attack lines. Yale's offensive formations reflect the high level of coordination that exists between its attackers and midfielders. Hunt said, "Our plays this year are a lot more complicated, but everyone understands them, so [they] are working out well." The coaches have been concentrating on six-man formations to create opportunities for the strongest shooters on the team. "Brian is the best finisher and Marko is the best outside shooter, so we make movements to get them the ball," Head Coach Mike Waldvogel explained.

MELISSA GRARREN/YH

Yale faces a tough schedule this season, with three consecutive Ivy games against Cornell, Princeton, and Brown. Although Princeton has traditionally dominated the Ivy League and is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, Cornell is the only team that Yale has thought about, watched on video, or prepared plays for during the past week. "We are going to concentrate on shutting down the midfielder who dominated the face-offs against us last year" Waldovogel explained. "Also, we will need to be very sharp on our shooting because their goalie is strong."

Last year, with the help of midfielder Addison Sollog '02, who won nearly 60 percent of his faceoffs in 2000, and the saves of All-American goalie Justin Cynar '02, Cornell beat Yale 12-4. Foote noted that the team is ready to make up for last year's mistakes against Cornell. "We came out flat and did not play at the level we should have," Foote said. "This time we want to prove that we are a much better team." The Bulldogs will concentrate on winning the face-offs to keep the pace of the game with Yale's strong offensive line. Currently Foote is taking the face-offs along with freshmen Ryan Capilupi, TC '04, and Marc Perry, MC '04. The freshmen are already a great advantage to the team and, as Foote noted, "They are ready to step up more if injuries occur during the season."

The Bulldogs are currently ranked 20th in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Poll, mainly due to their one loss to Drexel at the very beginning of the season. "We were playing really well in the preseason, but for some reason in the Drexel game, we made a lot of mistakes that we should not have let happen," midfielder Todd Merchak, BK '02, explained. "One of the Drexel attackers was able to score six goals on pretty much the same play every time, and we did not react well to that. Ever since then, though, we have doing been very well as a team."

Indeed, after that initial loss, the Bulldogs won their next three games against Lehigh, Colgate, and Penn to bring their current record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Ivy League.

Not only are the Bulldogs facing stiff competition in their upcoming games, but they are also the first Ivy opponent for Cornell, Penn, and Brown, meaning that Yale will face three emotionally charged games. However, the Elis are focusing on adjusting to each team's unique style of play and working on their own weaknesses. There are not many obvious weaknesses for the team but, Hunt said, "One area that we are focusing on improving is clearing the ball from defense and getting it up the field."

The team and the coaches have the experience and fresh talent in both defense and offense to make a strong move up in the rankings. "Every guy on the team knows that we have the potential to beat any team we go up against, and we just have to play well in every game," Foote explained. Right now, Princeton is a week and a half away, and Cornell is on the mind of every player. They all see an NCAA tournament appearance down the line but know that the only way to get there is by taking down one opponent at a time.

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