Coaches love to talk about the value of senior leadership, and Men's lacrosse Coach Tim Nelson is certainly no exception.
His team (5-1 overall, 0-0 Ivy) is off to its best start since 1982, and Nelson credits the fast start to the squad's seven seniors.
Nelson said senior leadership has been teh most important factor in the team's five wins. "The seniors have been playing so well and so tough."
But toughness should be expected from this group after what it has gone through during the past three years. This year's senior class - Brendan Bowler, Pete Fahey, Dave Fivek, Andy Ruckh, Bill Thomas, Dan Williams and Walter Wukasch - has struggled to a 9-31 overall record in those years, without a single Ivy League victory.
"This senior class has been through bad times, but their loyalty to the system and the program is tremendous," Nelson said. "We've had guys quit on us in the past, but these guys are winners."
And they can play, too.
Bowler has been on fire lately, scoring four goals to lead the Big Green past SUNY-Stony Brook, 15-6, on April 2. His offensive outburst earned him a spot on this week's Ivy League Honor Roll and gave him 12 goals for the year.
Fahey added two goals and two assists on Saturday, and led the team with nine shots. Ruckh directed the Dartmouth defense which allowed only 25 shots.
On Wednesday Fahey struck again, tallying two goals and two assists in a 13-8 win at Middlebury College. Eric Welsh '95 had three goals, Fivek and Todd Smith '95 each scored twice and Bowler added two assists. Ned Hazard '96 had 10 saves for the Big Green.
The wins over Stony Brook and Middlebury were "team efforts," Nelson said. "We got good play from the goal up through the middies and attack. Our guys are doing exactly what we're asking them."
Dartmouth now turns its attention to Sunday's home opener against the University of Pennsylvania. The Quakers are 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Ivy play, but are currently tied for 19th in the nation.
Penn squeaked by Dartmouth last season, 9-8, in overtime, and this past weekend needed two overtimes to down winless Cornell, 10-9.
"Penn is very talented and well-coached," Nelson said. "We must take our game to the next level [to do well], and we're very capable of doing that."
Face-off is at 1 p.m. on Memorial Field and Nelson predicts an entertaining game.
"It should be an evenly-played game," Nelson said. "How much crowd support we get could be the difference."
