The men’s lacrosse team (7-4 overall, 3-1 Ivy League) will have a chance to tally its second straight conference win this weekend against a strong Harvard side (6-6, 1-3). Head coach Chris Bates will lead his team under Friday Night Lights in an effort to improve on the 2-3 record against the Crimson amassed during his tenure.
Overall, Princeton holds an imposing the 57-23-1 series lead. Last time out, however, the Tigers suffered their third one-goal loss of their 2014 campaign after a 7-0 early run by Harvard proved insurmountable.
Should the Crimson wish to stay alive in the postseason hunt, they will need to repeat some of last year’s magic. Last weekend’s loss to Penn dropped Harvard into a tie for last place in the Ivy League standings.
At the other end of the table, Princeton’s domineering win over Dartmouth last Saturday gave the Orange and Black a share of first place. Senior attackman Mike MacDonald continued his scoring tear, racking up five goals and an assist. His classmate Kip Orban, the Tigers’ second-leading scorer after MacDonald, added a quartet of goals on the day.
While those upperclassmen should be counted on for consistent production, Princeton has had some recent adjustments between the pipes. Freshman goalkeeper Tyler Blaisdell has started the last two for the Tigers, relieving senior Eric Sanschagrin.
The Crimson stands as proof that, on any given day, any given Ivy League team can take down a conference rival. Its three most recent in-league matchups have been decided by a single goal. Its most recent Ivy tilt came against Penn’s Quakers, who squeaked out a road win with a late rally. However, the Cambridge side’s home win over Cornell undoubtedly ranks as its most impressive. In a contest where no team held an advantage greater than two points, Harvard emerged victorious thanks to balanced scoring and goalkeeper Bryan Moore’s save percentage of 59 percent.
Through his 12 starts, Moore has amassed the league’s best save percentage (55.2 percent) while allowing the highest goal total (112 goals). The number of shots on goal allowed by Harvard’s defense is somewhat surprising, considering the presumed quality of its close defense — juniors Robert Duvnjak and Stephen Jahelka earned first and second-team all-Ivy recognition in 2014.
On Harvard’s offense, attackman Devin Dwyer holds a commanding point lead with 46 (19 goals and 27 assists). He earned all-America honorable mention status last season, but will struggle to deal with the physicality of Princeton’s close defenders.
Should the Tigers prevail this weekend and the Big Red likewise top Brown, the resulting tie in the standings would set the stage for a season-ending showdown between Princeton and Cornell to decide the Ivy League’s regular season champion and postseason tournament venue.
What kind of an advantage does hosting the Ivy League tournament yield, you ask? Empirically, it remains unclear. The Ancient Eight (minus Columbia) have only engaged in the postseason competition five times. Of this small sample size, only once has the home team hoisted the trophy — Cornell’s Schoellkopf Field saw the Big Red eviscerate Harvard in a 15-6 final.
Subjectively, of course, no team would deny the benefits of playing on home turf.
Friday’s action is scheduled to begin to begin at 6:00 p.m. ESPN U will broadcast the contest with Princeton legend Ryan Boyle ’04 and Notre Dame’s Eamon McCananey giving the call.
Read More
Princeton softball stands atop the Ivy League standings after defeating Yale
Dalynn HoltzclawThe Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
The Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
Princeton Men’s golf falls just short in Ivy League Championships
Matthew YiDespite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
Despite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing out to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
On senior night, No. 21 Princeton men’s lacrosse secures a dominant win over No. 12 Penn
Lily PampolinaWith a massive win over a ranked opponent, the Tigers will head to New Haven next week in hopes of sealing their Ivy League tournament berth.
With a massive win over a ranked opponent, the Tigers will head to New Haven next week in hopes of sealing their Ivy League tournament berth.
