As Ivy slate keeps on rolling, men's lax boosted by defenders up front

In preparation for the most hectic part of its schedule, the men's lacrosse team will be spending this week working on its fundamentals.

The Tigers — ranked No. 4 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association coaches' poll — will travel to Cambridge, Mass., to take on No. 15 Harvard Saturday. The following weekend Princeton (6-1 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) will host No. 9 Cornell and No. 1 Syracuse at Class of 1952 Stadium on consecutive days.

"We gotta get back to some basic stuff," head coach Bill Tierney said. "With three games in eight days you end up doing a lot of concentrating on the other team, and you kinda forget about your own."

With such a tortuous road ahead, the team is working on basics such as shooting, dodging and individual defense.

It has been the team defense, however, that has provided a spark in recent weeks. The Tiger defense has not given up double digits in the goal column since the Virginia game during Spring Break. In two games last week, the longsticks — led by junior Ryan Mollett and sophomore Scott Farrell — held Penn and Brown to 11 combined goals.

"When you can hold [NCAA] Division I teams under 10, you really feel good about that. We've had five in a row," Tierney said. "The defense is gelling."

Some credit for Princeton's defensive success belongs to the offensive players as well. By executing its patient, methodical offense, the Tiger attack is able to keep the ball out of its opponents' sticks.

Junior attackman Matt Striebel has acted as the squad's quarterback — directing traffic from his perch behind the goal. A frequent target of Striebel passes has been sophomore attackman B.J. Prager. Striebel assisted on all three of Prager's goals against Brown and one of his four against Penn.

For his efforts against the Quakers and Bears, Prager was named Ivy League player of the week.

Princeton's longsticks have also chipped in on the offensive end of late. Against Penn, freshman defenseman Damien Davis recorded an assist on a goal by sophomore attackman Brendan Tierney. Then, against Brown, Davis took his accomplishments one step further, recording the first goal of his college career. Mollett has also joined in on the offensive play on a few occasions.

The Tigers cannot rely on their longsticks for goal scoring on a consistent basis, however. In recent weeks, Princeton's goal output, while sufficient for victory, has not been overwhelming.

"I think we need to be a little more opportunistic with our finishing," Tierney said. "If we're going to go anywhere at the end of the year, we need to score more goals."

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

NOTES: The Tigers are doing well on the injury front, as well. Sophomore midfielder Dan Clark returned from a shoulder sprain, and saw limited action against Brown. Junior midfielder Rob Torti, who suffered a wrist injury early in the season, has played the past two games in a defensive midfield role. Senior midfielder Geoff Lasda has an injured shoulder and may miss the Harvard game.

Cornell and Princeton are tied for the Ivy League lead with identical 3-0 records. Great parity exists in the Ivies this year, as every team except Dartmouth has recorded one league win.

Junior goaltender Trevor Tierney has been a consistent performer between the pipes for Princeton, recording a save percentage of .636 and a goals against average of 7.80.

1952 Stadium will host a lacrosse doubleheader, Saturday, April 22. The Tigers take on Cornell at noon, followed by a matchup between Penn and Syracuse.