The No. 17 men's lacrosse team demolished St. Joseph's, 18-4, on a rainy, windswept Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia to advance to 2-1 on the season, but Head Coach Lars Tiffany '90 was more pleased with his team's effort than the large margin of victory.
"That is very satisfying as a coach, to know that in a torrential downpour we are excited to play, to compete and to demonstrate how much we care about each other and how much we care for this program," he said.
Andrew Feinberg '11 led the way with three goals, but the offense came from many sources, as 11 players scored goals, including five with two apiece, and eight players handed out assists. Tiffany said that the entire 32-man travel roster saw action.
"What was so gratifying was to see the (backups) get their opportunity and make the most of it, and demonstrate to me that we do have depth, that we're able to rely on others to step up and make plays," he said.
Parker Brown '12 scored the first of his two goals 30 seconds into the game, and the Bears were off to the races, notching the first six goals of the game against the Hawks (0-7). Tiffany said he was pleased that the Bears did not let up from there, as many teams would have done with a large lead.
"I was very proud of the men that they did not allow the lull to occur, and every one of them who stepped in the game competed at a very high level," Tiffany said.
The Bears sailed into halftime with a 13-3 lead despite having to battle a constant downpour and high winds that ravaged the field consistently from one goal to the other.
"If it had been a football game, one direction you could have thrown the ball 80 yards, the other direction maybe 30 yards. Lacrosse balls are not affected as much by wind and rain," Tiffany said, but he still wondered before the game if teams would have a football-style advantage going with the wind. "I don't think it really makes a difference, but it was enough to make me think that way."
The Bears continued to control the game in the second half, outscoring the Hawks 5-1, despite facing even tougher conditions.
"I really commend the men because they stood on the sidelines for an extended period of time," Tiffany said. "By the time I told them to run into the game, they were cold, but they made no excuses and we overcame the challenge."
Brown received strong play from a pair of goalies. After Matt Chriss '11 notched two saves in five first-half tries, he gave way to Wills Curley '13, a native of nearby Berwyn, Penn.
"Wills, going home, was able to make five saves and gave up one goal in the second half," Tiffany said. "He played very well."
It all added up to a significant defensive improvement, surrendering only four goals after giving up 15 in a March 6 loss to Hofstra and 12 in Tuesday's overtime victory over Hartford. Tiffany credited the upswing to "increased intensity and enhanced pressure on our opponent," but he said he is not completely satisfied.
"We know that our next opponent, Harvard, is a much better offensive team, with a lot more weapons, so certainly we will not rest on any laurels from this game," he said.
The Bears will travel north to face the Crimson (3-1) in their Ivy League opener Saturday, knowing they need to win more face-offs after losing 14 out of 25 to the Hawks.
"Despite the margin of victory this past Saturday, we still struggled at the face-off ‘X,' " Tiffany said. "Against an opponent such as Harvard, we cannot continue to give them the ball."
Due to an editing error, a prior version of this article incorrectly stated that men's lacrosse player Parker Brown '12 scored three goals in Saturday's game. In fact, Brown scored two goals.
