Varsity Laxmen Clash with Princeton Today; Crimson Seeks Ivy Win a Toss-up Battle

The varsity lacrosse team will seek its first Ivy League victory of the season today when the Crimson laxmen meet Princeton on the Business School field at 2 p.m.

"I think we should be able to win." Harvard goalie Joe Walker said, "However, at this point in the season it would be ridiculous to say we'll win any games easily."

Princeton is now 2-1 after beating Williams, 10-9, downing Fairleigh Dickinson, 9-3, but losing to Johns Hopkins, 16-8, Harvard detected Williams, 8-4, last Wednesday in a muddy match which boosted the Crimson record to 1=3.

The Tigers strength lies at midfield, where they have seven returning lettermen, including two of their top three scorers. Bob Reynolds and Clark Pearlee.

Midfield is also Harvard's strongest position, with co-captain Verdi DiSesa and Bob Green, and junior Garth Ballantyne leading a group of nine midfield veterans. DiSesa, Green, and Ballantyne helped the Crimson place third in the Ivy League last year, Harvard's best performance since 1964.

Like the Crimson, Princeton is weak defensively, Except for co-captain Phil Barbaccia, the Tigers' defensemen are all rookies.

Harbaccia himself played Midfield until this season, when coach Art Robinson decided to move him back to a position where he has less ground to cover. A football injury sustained last fall has hampered Barbaccia's running ability.

The toughest defensive task for the Tigers will be stopping the Crimson's John Hagerty and DiSesa. Against Williams, attackman Hagerty had two goals and four assists, while DiSesa tallied three times.

Lacks Experience

Princeton is trying to build and offense this year, as the Tigers attack lacks experienced talent. Last season, when Princeton compiled a 1=11 record, the tigers never scored more than eight goals in a game. Rookie attackman Jim Shea, their high scorer this season, hopes to lead the team to a better record.

Coach Bruce Munro said he believes the match is a "toss-up." Both teams lack depth on attack and defense, and neither squad has performed impressively so far this year.