The Vermont Catamounts chose the wrong day to challenge a 20th ranked Harvard men's lacrosse squad smarting from two spring break defeats. Overcoming a sloppy start, the Crimson pounded the visitors to the tune of 24-6. HARVARD  24 VERMONT  6

Captain Mike Ferrucci was the star of the day, scoring nine points on a career high eight goals. He repeatedly scored against a Vermont defense which simply could not contain a Harvard attack which got goals from ten different players.

Senior attackman Jim Bevilacqua fed sophomore Lawson DeVries cutting off a pick on the crease for the first goal of the game.

Bevilacqua then scored thirty seconds later, relaying a pass from senior Doug Crofton into the corner of the net. He was the second leading scorer on the day with three goals and three assists.

Ferrucci next finished off a fast break started by a defensive strip to establish a 3-0 lead. DeVries found him curling off the right post and the team's leading scorer powered a shot through Vermont goal-tender Carl Langfeldt.

Ferrucci's performance fell one short of the Harvard record of nine goals which is held by five different players.

"I was set up really well by my teammates," said Ferrucci. "Almost all of my goals were assisted which is the way lacrosse should be played."

Ferrucci recently moved into third place on the all-time Harvard scoring list.

The Crimson grabbed control of the game in the first stanza, establishing a 10-2 lead at halftime. The attack scored nine of the goals, with Ferrucci accounting for five.

"We worked hard in practice on being more aggressive around the crease and using picks to get each other free," said Bevilacqua. "We also have been dodging more from behind the net. Both of those things paid off for us today."

In the second half the rest of the team got into the action. Senior Owen Leary had two goals and an assist, as they marked up fourteen tallies.

"Vermont is a weaker team, but it was still a good win for us," Leary said. "We played a sound game and we are ready now for the weekend."

Freshman Roger Buttles had his best performance in a Harvard uniform, notching a hat trick.

Buttles and freshman defensive middle Matt Schuh, both sporting long manes, have stood out for their strong play as well as their haircuts. They join several other freshman who continue to perform well.

Sophomore goalies Keith Cynar and Art Chen posted five and four saves respectively, but the Harvard defense once again applied the clamps and made their job easy. The stifling pressure kept the attack in check and forced turnovers all day.