ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996 TAG: 9605070007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 SPORTS EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LEXINGTON
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Jim Stagnitta, drawing on the experience of seven years as a Division III men's lacrosse coach, came up with a fail-safe plan to pull Washington and Lee out of its 9-5 rut.
He scheduled 15 games.
At one point Saturday, a 9-5 record didn't sound too bad, particularly when compared with 9-6.
However, after watching VMI make up a six-goal halftime deficit, the Generals regained their composure in the fourth quarter and pulled away for an 11-8 victory before a crowd of 4,069 at Alumni Field.
It was the Generals' eighth consecutive victory over VMI in the nine-year Lee-Jackson Classic and the second straight 11-8 score.
``I thought we were in trouble,'' said Stagnitta, referring to the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
The officials, making a routine stick check, slapped VMI midfielder Mike Rainwater with a one-minute penalty because the pocket on his stick was too deep. W&L attackman Ande Jenkins was penalized three minutes because the opening at the top of his stick was too narrow.
``My assistant coach measures the sticks before every game and Ande's is one we did measure,'' Stagnitta said. ``I don't know what happened to it, [but] it's his third stick penalty of the year and probably the fifth of his career.''
VMI already had scored two extra-man goals and, once Rainwater served his penalty, was looking at a man advantage for two minutes. But, the Keydets never mounted a threat.
Senior midfielder David Belfiore, who had sparked VMI's third-quarter uprising with two spectacular goals and some solid faceoff work, threw away the ball and the Generals maintained possession until the penalty expired.
W&L sophomore Ed Dougherty broke an 8-8 tie with 10:34 remaining when he scored his first goal of the game on his 13th shot. Adam Butterworth added an insurance score, his second goal of the game, with 8:48 left.
``We created situations for them by not taking care of the ball,'' said Doug Bartlett, VMI's coach. ``I wish now that I had called a timeout after we ran out the minute [that Rainwater was penalized], but it looked like it would be a tight game, so I wanted to save my timeouts.''
VMI rarely had the ball in the closing minutes because W&L junior Shane McLaughlin won the last three faceoffs. McLaughlin and VMI goalie Ryan Olson were recipients of the matching Worrell-Fallon trophies that go to the teams' respective most valuable players in the classic.
Olson, with 18 saves, couldn't prevent the Keydets from losing for the fifth time in six games and finishing 6-8. McLaughlin, with three goals, helped W&L finish the regular season with a 10-6 record.
``It's been an emotional season, starting with the loss of a senior [David Thompson, killed in an auto wreck] on the day before practice started,'' said Stagnitta, whose Generals, ranked 12th in NCAA Division III, have lost three overtime games.
``I honestly feel, man-for-man, it's the best team we've had. We're one goal from being in the top eight, two goals from being in the top six, three goals from being in the top four or five. On top of that, a loss today would have been devastating.''
LENGTH: Medium: 64 linesby CNB