Men's Lacrosse Game Notes for Harvard

GAME #11
Harvard (4-5/0-4 Ivy)
at
#13 Massachusetts (8-2/3-0 ECAC)
Wednesday, April 17, 2002 * 3:00 p.m.
Richard F. Garber Field (5,000)
Amherst, Massachusetts
Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM (Amherst, Mass.)

WEDNESDAY'S GAME WITH HARVARD
Massachusetts enters the game at 8-2 overall and 3-0 in the ECAC Lacrosse League, while Harvard enters the game with a 4-5 overall record and is 0-4 in the Ivy League. This is the 33rd all-time meeting between the two intrastate rivals. Massachusetts holds a 23-9 record in the series and has won the last three meetings between the two schools. The Minutemen defeated Harvard, 11-5, last season in Boston. Current senior Dan Paccione (Amityville, N.Y.) and current junior Chris Fiore (Freeport, N.Y.) both scored two goals in the victory.

SCOUTING THE HARVARD CRIMSON
After opening the season with four consecutive victories, Harvard has lost its last five games to fall below the .500 mark. The Crimson are coming off an 18-4 defeat to Princeton this past Saturday. The Harvard offense is led by junior Matt Primm (12g, 13a), who needs just three points to have 100 in his Crimson career. Other players to watch are junior Jay Wich (12g, 6a), senior Derek Nowak (8g, 3a), freshman Mike McBride (8g, 3a) and sophomore Jeff Gottschall (8g, 2a). The defense is anchored by goaltender Jake McKenna who has started all nine games. He has a 9.28 goals against average and a .610 save percentage. Sophomore Alex Vap takes the majority of the faceoffs and has won 63 of 127 (.496) attempts. Harvard has scored on eight of 42 extra-man opportunities this season.

CHRIS FIORE COMING INTO HIS OWN
Junior midfielder Chris Fiore has been scoring consistently this season. He is currently second on the team in goals with 21 and fourth in scoring with 25 points. He has scored 17 goals in the past six games and has been held scoreless just once this season (at Stony Brook on March 2). Fiore entered the 2002 season having scored 14 goals and nine assists in 23 games as a freshman and sophomore.

WINNING STREAK SNAPPED AT EIGHT
The 11-9 loss at No. 14 Yale this past Saturday snapped the nation's longest winning streak. The Minutemen had won eight consecutive games since losing the season-opener in overtime to Hofstra. The game marked just the second time in the last two seasons that Massachusetts was outshot by the opponent (39-32). Two other noteworthy streaks were also snapped in the game, senior attackman Marc Morley (Canton, N.Y.) was held scoreless for the first time in 14 games, and junior midfielder Kevin Leveille (Delmar, N.Y.) was held scoreless for the first time in 11 games.

GOING FOR NUMBER 400
The next Massachusetts victory will be the 400th win in the program's storied 49-year history. Massachusetts all-time record currently stands at 399-203-3 (.662). Head coach Greg Cannella has been at the helm of the program for 60 of the victories.

RECAPPING SATURDAY'S LOSS AT YALE
Edward Britt and Mike Scaglione each scored three goals to lead No. 14 Yale to an 11-9 victory over Massachusetts. Yale outscored No. 8 Massachusetts three goals to one in the decisive third quarter to overcome a one-goal Minuteman lead at the half. Yale took the lead, 8-7, when Ryan Floyd scored his second goal of the game with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter. Yale extended its lead to 10-7 by scoring the first two goals of the fourth quarter. The Minutemen responded with a goal from junior midfielder Chris Fiore at the 6:28 mark. Senior attackman Dan Paccione then brought Massachusetts to within one, when he scored with 2:31 remaining in regulation. Yale sealed the victory with a goal from Scaglione with 1:16 left in the game. Yale opened an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter, with Scaglione netting two of the four goals. Massachusetts cut into the Yale lead with goals by senior midfielder Dusty Smith (West Chester, Pa.) and senior defenseman Matt McFarland (Garden City, N.Y.) late in the first quarter. The Minutemen tied the game, 4-4, early in the second quarter on goals from Paccione and sophomore midfielder Jeff Zywicki (Nepean, Ontario). Following a Yale goal, Massachusetts scored twice more before the end of the quarter to take a 6-5 halftime lead. Fiore and freshman attacker Craig Conn (St. Catherines, Ontario) had the two Minuteman goals. Freshman goaltender Bill Schell (Mahopac, N.Y.) made 12 saves in the cage for Massachusetts, while Yale goaltender Eric Wenzel also finished the game with 12 saves.

PACCIONE LEADING THE WAY
Attackman Dan Paccione is the only Minuteman player to have scored a goal in every game this season. Four other players (Chris Fiore, Marc Morley, Kevin Leveille, Jeff Zywicki) have recorded at least one point in nine of the 10 games. Paccione leads the team in goals (26), points (32) and is second in ground balls (40). He also leads the team in faceoff wins (63) and winning percentage (.563).

McFARLAND SHOWING A SCORING TOUCH
All-American defenseman Matt McFarland has been showing a scoring touch as of late. He has scored a goal in three of the last four games and has four goals and an assist on the season. McFarland entered the year having scored just one goal and two assists in his first three seasons.

IN CASE YOU DID NOT KNOW . . .
Freshman goaltender Bill Schell has started each of the last five games, and has a 5-1 record on the season...The Minutemen are 4-1 at Richard F. Garber Field this season.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

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