University of Virginia Library

Stickmen Complete Field
For Hero's Invitational Event

By JOHN MARKON

This afternoon in Baltimore
the Cavalier lacrosse team will
face off against Denison at 2
o'clock to open the first annual
Hero's Invitational Lacrosse
Tournament.

Towson State College's
8,500 seat stadium will be used
for all tourney games with all
benefits from the four-day
affair going to Heroes, a
Baltimore-based charity
organization.

Other teams in the impressive
Hero's field are Army and
Cortland State, both ranked in
the collegiate top ten, and the
Long Island Lacrosse Club,
United States club champions
for four years running.

Army and Cortland will
play at 4 this afternoon with
the victor playing the winner
of the Virginia-Denison
match. Action Friday will
feature a 2 p.m. match
between Brown, another top
ten team, and the Maryland
Lacrosse Club followed at 4 by
host Towson State's game with
the Long Island Club.

Denison University is
located in Granville, Ohio, a
town not ranked among the
nation's lacrosse hotbeds.

Coach Tommy Thomson
brought the East Coast game to
the Ohio hinterlands a few
years ago and constructed a
team from scratch that went
on to win the Midwest
Championships in its second
year of existence. They also
won that title last year,
compiling a 10-2 record in the
process.

Virginia goes into the
Denison game with a 1-1
record, having lost to the Mr.
Washington Club and defeated
Roanoke College. Midfielder
Pete Eldredge is the team's
leading goal scorer with seven
while co-captain Jay Connor
(like Eldredge a first-team
All-American last year) leads in
points with five goals and five
assists.

The Cavs haven't really
reached top form yet but
several encouraging signs have
appeared, especially on
defense. Rod Rullman and
Scotty Howe have both looked
good in goal so far and the
defensemen themselves, led by
All American Bruce Mangels
and Boo Smith, have not really
been the weak spot some
feared they would be.

Presently teamed with
Mangels and Smith is Ed
Spencer, a first-year man who
once he smooths out a few
rough edges, will be a first-class
operative. Ted Coburn, another
first-year man, has also seen
playing time and shown
potential.

Long Island is the
pre-tourney favorite although
experts give Army, Cortland,
Brown and the Cavaliers good
shots at the title. The Hero's
games will not, however, count
toward determining NCAA
tourney berths.

CD/Jay Adams

Lacrosse Defender Bruce Mangels