NCAA Preview 2013: Harvard

Inside Lacrosse is kicking off the season by previewing the top 40 teams. Here's Five Things to Know About Harvard, ranked No. 36 in the Face-Off Yearbook.

Harvard, sporting a preseason rank of No. 36 in the 2013 Face-Off Yearbook, had a fairly disappointing 2012, going 6-8 overall and going 2-4 in Ivy league play. The Crimson won Ivy League games against Brown (10-9 OT), and Dartmouth (15-10) in 2012 and will look to improve their league form in 2013 despite losing two of their top three scorers to graduation.

1. There Are a Lot of New Faces in Cambridge

The Harvard men?s lacrosse team heads into the 2013 season sporting the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation. Players from established high school programs don?t just dot the roster ? they smother it. Deerfield Academy, Garden City, Manhasset and Gilman are just a few of the places that the Harvard freshman hail from, but coach Chris Wojcik was coy on the identity of any particular player that stood out in fallball, but quick to praise the first-year players as a group: ?I think the whole class has impressed. A number of them will push for playing time right away.?A really talented group. They have great attitudes and have played at top high school programs. I think they have all impressed me, but most of them are looking at playing time right away.? Still, they haven?t proven anything at this level yet.?

2. The Replacements is Just a Movie

The Crimson lose 92 points (65G, 27A) with the departure of Jeff Cohen and Kevin Vaughan to graduation. For a team that finished 22nd in the nation in goals per game (10.36), that?s still a lot of goals to leave unaccounted for, but according to coach Wojcik, there are several players that can slot into their system. ?We don?t look at our current players as replacements. We have a team-oriented system. We assess our current personnel with their strengths and weaknesses in our system.? The Crimson return their second leading scorer in Daniel Eipp (24, 18), who begins his junior campaign as the top option. Said Wojcik of Eipp: ?He?s always been a great dodger, but last year his distribution ability really developed. Last summer he helped Team USA win a gold medal [with the U-19 team], and this year I think the goal for him is to become a complete attackman. Dodge, feed, ride ? do it all. He?s hungry, he?s driven and he?s an emerging leader at attack.?

3. The Midfield Unit is Experienced

Alex White (5 G, 19 GB) has played for four years. He's a very good all-around middie, high lacrosse IQ, he?s big, he?s strong, and he makes plays with his experience. Expect him to be a leader.??

Ryan Stevens (5, 2) is another senior midfielder that will see extended time in 2013. Stevens started two games last season, but he has seen his fair share of the trainers' table. Still, Wojcik believes that his ability as a ?high velocity shooter on the run and up top with both hands? makes him an exciting prospect this spring.

He may not be a senior, but Carl Zimmerman is a converted attackman that notched five goals and dished six assists in 2012. He?s ?very smooth, has good speed, and is an excellent team player who we expect to emerge as a junior,? according to the coach. Zimmerman had his best game in what could have been the Crimson?s best game all year ? an overtime win against Ivy league rival Brown that saw the midfielder score two goals and hand out an assist.

4. Face-offs Will Be Even Stronger in 2013

Sophomore Michel Keegan was Harvard?s top draw man in 2012, finishing with a 59.6% win percentage after taking over primary face-off duties while splitting time with then-freshman Sean Mahon and the aforementioned Alex White. Rick Mole will also take draws for Harvard in 2013. Mole is a converted defenseman, but in addition to Keegan, Mahon and White, Mole took draws, going 15-32 in his seven appearances in 2012. Wojcik was complimentary of Mole in particular, praising his hard work and skillset at the X. The return of all these players from injury is definitely a boon to a face-off unit that was already successful last year.

5. The Overachievers Don?t Want to Underachieve Again

Wojcik was not shy about his team?s record last season. ?Overall last year was disappointing. We underachieved. We started well and dropped three close games. We bounced back against Brown, and we were able to beat Dartmouth, but then we didn?t finish strong. We lost our final four ivy league games. Guys were unhappy. I think we have learned a lot from that season and made a number of adjustments and our guys are very hungry to prove themselves this year.?

The new rule changes are also a point of focus for this team heading into the new season.???I think a lot of us are excited about what this year will being to our teams and the game with all the new rules.??To try and speed up the game, I think for a lot of us this will be a learning year for coaches and players across the country at all levels.??We all know the rules and were practicing new strategies to try and take advantage of the rules, but I think you will see certain philosophies and themes emerge this year and those are yet to be determined.?

Best Bet: Daniel Eipp, junior, attack (24G, 18A)

The Crimson's leading returning scorer is a quick dodger and talented scorer. His athleticism makes him tough to cover one-on-one.

Sleeper Pick: Peter Schwartz, junior attack (4G, 7A in 2011)

The sleeper of the entire offense might be Peter Schwartz. The junior attackman missed all of last year with an injury, but coach Wojcik insists ??he?s back and healthy and he?s very determined to be a big-time contributor on offense. He a great game and can contribute at attack and midfield.? Schwartz?s last season for Harvard saw him contribute four goals and seven assists back in 2011 as a sophomore.

Another player that could be considered a sleeper on the other side of the ball is Gabriel Mendola. Like Schwartz, Mendola missed all of last season. However, Mendola?s freshman year saw him win 75 of 128 face-offs, good for a 58.6% win percentage in addition to scooping 34 groundballs.

Game to Watch: UMass, 1 p.m. Feb. 23

Nothing tests freshmen like a big game right out of the gate. Harvard's season opener in Cambridge will be a great opening atmosphere, with an in-state game against top-tier talent (No. 12 in Face-Off Yearbook). Harvard can get the sting of a disappointing season out of its system quickly with a win.

2012 Record: 6-8
2012 Conference: 2-4
GPG (Rank): 10.36 (22)
GAA (Rank): 9.79 (30)

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Source: http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2013/01/17/ncaa-preview-2013-harvard

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