The Cavalier daily :: Friday, March 17, 1972 :: University of Virginia Library

Although basketball refuses
to move over and yield the
center stage, the Cavalier
lacrosse team will open its
regular season tomorrow
afternoon when the Wahoos
tangle with the powerful
Mount Washington Club in a 2
p.m. game at Scott Stadium.

Five All-Americans return
from last year's ACC
championship team and the
Cavs have been installed by the
Lacrosse Newsletter as the
pre-season favorites for the
national collegiate title. The
Wahoos held the top spot for
the majority of last season
before being upset by Navy in
the first round of the NCAA
tournament.

Among the returning
All-Americans are the two
team captains, Jay Connor and
Robert Proutt. Connor was a
first team selection at attack
and Proutt a third team pick as
a midfielder.

Midfielder Pete Eldridge is
the other returning first teamer
and, like Connor, Proutt and
attackman Tom Duquette,
another third team selection, is
a fourth yearman.

Bruce Mangels, a third-year
defenseman, rounds out the
crew of All-Stars as he was a
second team pick last season.

Knowing that an impressive
list of returnees always
impresses pollsters, lacrosse
boss Glenn Thiel admitted that
he "more or less expected" the
high ranking. Coach Thiel sees
the fight for the crown as being
a spirited one between his
Cavaliers, Maryland, Navy,
Johns Hopkins, Army and
defensing Cornell.

Commenting on the MWC,
a team the Cavaliers have
beaten only once, Coach Thiel
mentioned the Mounties' loss
of a few key players and
opined that, while the Club
might not be "quite as strong
on the whole" as last year's
edition, their first team will
still be "as good as ever."

In last year's game the
Mounties ran up a quick 9-0
lead and held Virginia off the
rest of the way to take a 20-13
decision in Baltimore, the
Club's home base.

Mount Washington will
feature their usual impressive
array of ex-college
All-Americans. Names to watch
for are Brian Poole in goal,
Hank Kaestner, Rob MacCool
and Ira Hochstadt on defense
and Downie McCarty, Joe
Sievold and Mike Hanna on
attack. Three strong midfields,
always nice to have, are also
part of the Mount Washington
arsenal.

Starting on attack for thy
Cavaliers will be Connor,
Duquette and Rick Beach with
reserve Chip Barker expected
to see a lot of playing time as
Beach's back-up at crease
attack.

Proutt, Doug Cooper and
Jim Ulman comprise the
Wahoos' first mid-field with
the second unit led by
All-American Eldridge and also
including Steve Turner and
Steve Nauss. Nauss will share
faceoff responsibilities this
year with Greg Montgomery, a
third team middie.

Coach Thiel singled out
Richie Warner, a first-yearman
and High School All-American,
as the "backbone" of that
third unit.

Mangels and Boo Smith are
sure to start on defense and
they will be joined by either
Ed Spencer or Ted Coburn,
both first-yearmen. Spencer
was scheduled for the
assignment but a
charlie horse suffered in
Wednesday's practice may keep
him from extensive action.

Unlike last year, all home
games will be played in Scott
Stadium. Coach Thiel terms
the old edifice "a great place
to watch lacrosse" and
mentioned that the smooth
playing surface would aid the
players while the abundance of
seats would be appreciated by
fans.

What he could have added,
but didn't, was that the "great
setting" of Scott Stadium will
be graced by some pretty great
lacrosse this year, a lot of it
played by his team and some
of it certain to be offered by
Mount Washington tomorrow.