No. 12 Men's Lacrosse Holds Off No. 18 Massachusetts, 14-13

Pictured: Terry White had the first hat trick of his career in the victory.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot

AMHERST, Mass. – Terry White recorded his first career hat trick, and Jeff Cohen and Dean Gibbons netted two goals apiece, as the No. 12 Harvard men’s lacrosse team improved to 3-1 on the season with a 14-13 win at No. 18 Massachusetts Saturday afternoon.  Harry Krieger earned his second straight win in net, making a career-high 13 saves, while Christian Oberbeck and Andrew Parchman each won eight faceoffs. Daniel DiMaria collected a career-best eight ground balls in the winning effort.

Harvard opened up a 3-0 lead as Jeff Molinari, Gibbons, who had three assists on the day, and Jack Doyle notched goals in the first seven minutes of the game.  Alex White and Oberbeck also tacked on scores in the first quarter, as the Crimson held a 5-3 advantage on the scoreboard after the first 15 minutes of play. 

The Crimson, which scored only three times in its loss against the Minutemen in Cambridge last season, headed into the half tied, 6-6. Jason Duboe ended a 3-0 run for UMass (3-2) by beating goalkeeper Tim McCormack with a shot with 1:28 remaining in the second to knot the contest. 

Cohen opened the second half with Harvard’s third man-up goal of the game, putting the Crimson back on top, 7-6, at 13:16 of the third.  Cohen netted his second man-up goal of the quarter at 7:12, stopping another 3-0 scoring run for UMass, as he made it a 9-8 contest in favor of the Minutemen.  After Terry White knotted the game, 9-9, with 5:21 to play in the third, he added another goal in the final seconds of the stanza to put the Crimson ahead, 10-9, entering the fourth. 

In the final quarter, Travis Burr and Gibbons netted back-to-back goals, as Harvard notched five straight to take a 12-9 lead with 12:09 remaining.  The Crimson continued its offensive surge, as White and Kevin Vaughan scored to make it a five-goal game, 14-9, at the 5:59 mark.  The Minutemen went on a 4-0 run in the final minutes, but could not find the equalizer, as Harvard held on for the win. 

The Crimson finished the game 4-for-7 on man-up opportunities and won 16-of-30 faceoff chances.  UMass held the advantage in ground balls, 36-30, and shots, 44-35.  Harvard will return home to host Colgate Tuesday, March 16 at 4 p.m. The game will be held at Cumnock Turf.