The Cavalier daily :: Monday, April 26, 1971 :: University of Virginia Library

Last Saturday in a University
Hall "dust bowl," the Virginia
lacrosse team demonstrated that it
deserves to be ranked as the best in
the country. The Cavaliers soundly
defeated a solid Navy squad 11-7
before an overflow crowd of 5,000
dust-blown spectators.

The game did not start out well
at all for the Cavaliers as Navy
tallied twice early in the first
period. Neither of the goals
displayed any great Navy team
strength as the first was a garbage
shot after a middie's shot was
deflected and the second rolled
through Al Hirsh's legs.

These two scores were the
results of the face-off success of
Navy's Ron Lanning who helped
Navy to win 20 out of 24 face-offs
during the game. After these two
early goals the Virginia defense
tightened up and played one of its
best games of the season.

When they finally got the ball
the Cavaliers were very effective
during the first period of play. The
first four times that they gained
possession, the Virginia team scored
three times. The attack scored all of
these three first period goals. Rick
Beach scored the first on a feed
from Tom Duquette. The team
continued to work the ball well
especially to Duquette as he scored
the next three Virginia goals.

Navy capitalized on a defensive
let-down, good screens, and a
"hot-dog" effort by Doug Nastro,
Navy's small-sized attack man, to
score three times during the second
period.

Following Duquette's three
goals in a row example, Pete
Eldredge scored three goals in a
row. His two second period goals
kept Virginia ahead of the rallying
Midshipmen and were assisted by
stifled Jay Conner and an excellent
screen. Shortly after Eldredge's
second goal the first half came to
an end with Virginia holding a slim
6-5 lead.

Eldredge's last goal was the only
tally of the third period. Neither
team looked like contenders to the
national title during this period.
Stupid playing, inaccurate passes,
and blown plays abounded.
Virginia's defense was the brightest
light of the interlude as it forced
Navy into making numerous
mistakes and cleared the ball very
well to the ineffective Virginia
offensive players.

From late in second period
the combination of a good Cavalier
defense and a bungling Navy
offensive kept the Midshipmen
scoreless. Meanwhile Virginia
scored five times. Two of the scores
were Eldredge's while Dick Proutt,
Rick Beach, and Doug Cooper each
scored once. Pal Lee broke the lee
for Navy in the third period, but
Navy's fate had already been
decided.

In an effort to start a rally Navy
began to press in the last period. It
did them very little good as they
came up with too little too late and
Virginia continued to score. After
Lee's score Jay Conner victimized
the pressing Midshipmen when
Navy Goalie Steve Soroka flubbed a
clearing pass far away from his goal.
Conner picked up the ball, outran
Soroka, and scored on a very lonely
defenseman.

The Cavaliers played very loose
but physical lacrosse for the few
minutes remaining. They only gave
up one goal and savored Virginia's
first lacrosse victory over Navy
since 1958, third in the 23 game
series, and first ever in
Charlottesville.

Cavalier Bench Watches Intently As Lead Mounts In Third Period

Stingy Defense, Moving Offense. Good Goal Work Proved Factors