Laxmen Challenge Middlebury Today... ...Ferrante and Worsley Ready to Roll

The Harvard women's lacrosse team will shuttle across the river to Boston College tonight for the season opener, but its main challenge probably won't be the opposing team.

Although the B.C. women are improving, the Crimson's real problem will come from playing on the Eagles home Astroturl. The women have to tone up their skills on the artificial surface to get ready for the always tough University of Pennsylvania team, which plays on a similar surface.

Head coach Carole Kleinfelder will direct the team in a game situation for the first time this year. Kleinfelder, who recently finished coaching the U.S. women's lacrosse team on a tour through England. Scotland and Wales, had entrusted the preseason chores to assistant coach Mary Ellen Martin.

In an effort to keep the area in front of the goal free, the Crimson women will concentrate on their passing skills and try to play an open game--a game plan that should allow the offense to set up better scoring opportunities.

Both Sarah Mleczko and Sue St. Louis are capable scorers in one-on-one situations, but Kleinfelder expects they will work themselves into the stronger passing attack.

Big "D"

More important to Harvard's success, both today and through the season, will be the performance of the defense, led by captain Cynthia Jensen and sophomore Chris Sailer.

Kleinfelder will count on those two to anticipate the direction of the B. C. attack, and position the team accordingly.

"I think when you start to develop a team, you must concentrate on the defense and the attack will take care of itself." Kleinfelder said yesterday. "If you don't have a strong defense, then you won't have a winning team," she added.

Little Gump?

Freshman Charlotte Worsley will start at goalie today. Worsley, an offensive player in high school, withstood stiff competition in the pre-season, but proved herself a tough-thinking player who can do the job.

Worsley is just one of a group of strong freshmen who have brought a new attitude. Lisa Kent and Cat Ferrante will do their part on the attack, with Ferrante especially adding excellent speed and agility to the Crimson offense.

"The freshmen are important to the team because they are ripe and ready to try out new stick work and experiment around with their style of play," Jensen said Monday.