The Harvard men’s lacrosse team was in the locker room preparing for the second half against Denver while Joe Pike was warming up to start his day. Harvard trailed the Pioneers, 3-1, on April 1 and the Crimson needed a big performance from its goalie to make a comeback.

With Pike in net, the Crimson outscored the Pioneers, 6-4, in the second half, sending the game into overtime. The freshman goalie shut Denver out through three overtimes until Harvard’s Greg Cohen put the Pioneers away with the game-winning goal.

Playing half of a game is nothing new for Pike. He’s split time with sophomore Evan O’Donnell in every game except one this season. The competition between the goalies has made both players better and gives the Crimson an edge over many of its opponents.

‘It’s sort of encouraging and not just competition,’ Pike said. ‘I don’t want to play worse than (O’Donnell) did.’

Pike has received recognition as a top goalie even though he only plays half the games, earning Ivy League rookie of the week honors after the Denver game. The freshman impressed Harvard head coach Scott Anderson enough to use a strategy he never implemented before.

O’Donnell started every game for the Crimson in 2005 and played well enough to earn honorable mention All-Ivy League honors. But Pike’s performance in the fall made it difficult for Anderson to decide which goalie would start in the spring. To be fair, Anderson chose to play O’Donnell in the first half and let Pike come in to play the second.

‘Joe has been great and at a lot of other programs he would just be the guy,’ Anderson said. ‘When we started (playing both goalies) I wasn’t absolutely sure how it would work.’

Pike benefited from not starting the first game of the season because he was able to play his first game with a lead from the beginning. The Crimson was leading, 7-3, at the half so Pike had breathing room to make mistakes in his first college game.

The freshman struggled at first, allowing five goals, but Harvard was able to hang on for the win, 9-8. Pike said the speed of college lacrosse scared him before entering the game, but once he stood between the pipes, he settled down.

‘I was thinking, ‘Am I even going to be able to see the ball?” Pike said. ‘Until you make your first save, it is always nerve-wracking.’

Harvard is ranked No. 19 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll after posting a 4-3 record before yesterday’s game against Brown. Anderson said the combination has been very successful for the Crimson because it gives it depth in case one of the goalies is injured. When O’Donnell became sick before the game against Massachusetts, Pike was prepared to play the entire game because he saw regular action all year.

O’Donnell and Pike present different styles to opposing teams, making it difficult for them to form a game plan against the Crimson. Anderson said O’Donnell is smaller and more active, while Pike is a passive goalie who sees the ball well.

Opponents are unable to find a rhythm shooting against Pike and O’Donnell, but it would seem that the goalies would have trouble finding a rhythm in the net as well. Pike said this is not the case.

‘You have to establish a rhythm in the second half as a goalie anyway,’ Pike said. ‘I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.’

Tumbling Terps

Maryland dropped out of the power five for the first time all season after losing two consecutive games. The losses came to Virginia and Navy, both top five teams in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, so the Terrapins can’t dwell too much on them. But to be the best, Maryland must beat the best and it hasn’t done that over the past two weeks.

No Duke DNA Connection

DNA testing did not connect any players to the alleged sexual assault of a stripper, according to attorneys for the Duke Lacrosse team on Monday. The DNA results were given to police and prosecutors hours before the press conference on Monday and have not been officially released to the public.

No charges have been filed against any players, but Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong told The Associated Press the investigation will continue.

The allegations set off a firestorm of protests on the Duke campus leading to the resignation of head coach Mike Pressler last Wednesday and Duke President Richard Brodhead’s announcement that the remainder of the season would be officially canceled.

Power Five

1. Virginia – The Cavaliers just keep rolling. Virginia scored 20 goals for the third time this season, beating North Carolina, 21-13. The Cavaliers have dominated their opponents this season, outscoring teams 171-79.

2. Hofstra – Another week and another two wins for the Pride. Hofstra has won nine games in a row since losing the season opener to Massachusetts. The Pride won’t be tested again until it plays Harvard on April 29.

3. Georgetown – The Hoyas hope to continue their seven-game winning streak when they travel to Loyola to face the Greyhounds on Saturday. Georgetown has fared well away from home this season, beating Syracuse and Navy on the road.

4. Navy – A road win against Maryland on Saturday brought Navy back into the power five this week. The Midshipmen will play the most important game of their season when they travel to West Point to take on rival Army on Saturday.

5. Johns Hopkins – The Blue Jays are the only team in the power five with three losses, but Johns Hopkins belongs with the elite teams. The three losses came to No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 Hofstra and No. 8 Princeton. The Blue Jays have to prove they deserve a high ranking by beating No. 7 Maryland on Saturday.

Published on April 11, 2006 at 12:00 pm