University of Virginia Library

Stickmen Open Tomorrow

By Winston Wood
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Virginia's lacrosse team opens
their season tomorrow afternoon
against Mt. Washington Lacrosse
Club of Baltimore in what might
shape up to be the toughest game
on the schedule.

As defending Atlantic Coast
Conference stick champions the
Cavaliers won't be going into the
contest in the same shape they were
in when they walked off the field
after last year's 8-3 win over the
Wolfpack. Gone from last year's
squad are All-Americans Jim
Eustace and Peter Coy, the heart
and the brains of the close defense.
Starting at attack will be two first
year men and a third year
debutante, none of whom have seen
game experience.

Mount Washington, on the other
hand, will boast their strongest
team in many years, including four
members of last year's national
champion Johns Hopkins squad.

1970 Lacrosse Schedule

                       

March 14	Mt. Washington	away
March 18	Yale (scrimmage	home, 2 p.m.
March 28	Denison	home, 2 p.m.
April 2	Cornell	home, 2 p.m.
April 4	North Carolina	away
April 11	Alumni (tentative)	home, 2 p.m.
April 18	Johns Hopkins	home, 2 p.m.
April 25	Navy	away
May 3	Carlings L.C.	home, 2 p.m.
May 9	Maryland	home, 2 p.m.
May 13	Washington & Lee	away
May 16	Hofstra	home, 2 p.m.

Leading the list are All-American
attackmen Joe Cowan and Phil
Kniep.

Replacing Coy on defense will
be fourth year men Doug Hilbert
who has been moved from the
midfield, and it will be his primary
concern to guard the prolific
Cowan. Wally Fauntleroy returns to
the crease, minus a couple of
fingers, but still the fastest man on
the squad. First year man Tom
Dawes rounds out the defensive
three and is the big question mark
in the team's ability to keep the
other team from scoring. Against
Randolph-Macon last weekend he
played well and seemed sure
enough of himself to do so in the
future, though the team of Cowan
and Kniep is hard to beat, no
matter how much experience
you've had.

Al Hirsh has taken Eustace's
place in the goal and he will be hard
pressed tomorrow to improve on
the thirteen saves he made in last
week's Randolph-Macon
scrimmage. Letting in seven goals,
he slipped up every once in a while.
Few of the seven were deserved,
made off well placed shots or as a
result of good team play. On the
contrary, Randy-Mac showed little
team work, as if each of their
players were playing for himself,
and most of their scores were off
garbage shots that never should
have made it past the crease. But
it's garbage that could kill you in a
game against Mt. Washington. Hirsh
saw a little action last year, but

obviously not enough to carry him
through the early part of the
season. He is, however, basically a
good goalie and should come
around later in the year.

But thinking so won't help any
tomorrow afternoon. In this his
coaching premiere at the University
Glen Thiel will have to look for
exceptional performances from his
experienced midfields to pull this
one out of the proverbial fire. As
against Randolph-Macon he will run
three midfields, with the first two
carrying the brunt of the weight.
Starting will be Captain Jim Potter,
Charlie Rullman and second-year
man Bob Proutt, basically the same
unit that led Virginia last year to
finish a strong fourth nationally.
Pete Eldridge, George Turner, and
Dick Proutt will run in the second,
and Steve Nauss, first-year men Jim
Mann and Jeff Plenack in the
third.

Though lacking in college
experience, the starting attack of
Rick Beach, Tom Duquette, and
Ricky Bergland aren't lacking in
ability as their performance in last
Saturday's scrimmage proves. Beach
and Duquette each scored three
times and Bergland twice. Shooting
against Brian Poole, they will have
their hands filled with Hank
Kaesiner on defense, who
up with All-American Mike Clark
last year at Hopkins.

Rain is predicted for Saturday's
game and its effects on style of
play will be telling. The Cavaliers
are a fast team this year but under
wet conditions they will have to
slow the ball down a lot to keep
possession from a team annually
noted for its stickwork and its
finesse. A saving factor, however,
will be that the Mounties will have
to play that way too.

Talented But Unexperienced Cavalier Attack Will Face Toughest Test Of Season In Baltimore

Bergland, Beach And Duquette To Start Tomorrow For Defending ACC Lacrosse Champions