Hosting Infiniti Classic, men's lacrosse shows stuff in comeback against Towson

The score was eight to nothing. In any sport in which the score is tallied one point at a time, that is a blow-out, a sign for the spectators that two uneven teams are on the field.

That was the impression that fans at this weekend's Princeton Infiniti Lacrosse Invitational got when Princeton fell behind Towson by the score of eight to nothing at the end of the first quarter.

Many were saying that this year's Tigers were simply not going to be as strong as last year's team, which beat Syracuse on Memorial Day to bring home the NCAA Championship.

Others accredited the early blow-out to Towson's continuing improvement. Two years ago, the team was sub .500. Last year, it lost to Princeton in the semifinals by the score of 12-11.

Finally, some, including the Princeton lacrosse squad, kept their composure and waited, confident that the team would regain its focus and prove that this year's team would be every bit as good as last year's.

After taking the 8-0 lead, Towson scored the first goal at the start of the second quarter. Princeton head coach Bill Tierney then called a time-out, said some words to the team, and watched as the Tigers went on a rampage and outscored Towson by the score of 12-4 after going down 9-0, just like a defending national champion should.

The 12-4 rout in the last three quarters, though, was not enough, as Princeton fell by the final score of 13-12.

"We spotted them a few points in the first quarter, didn't we?" Tierney said. "You're only allowed one fall date of competition, so you go into them thinking that it's just the fall and with the mindset that you're trying to get a look at everybody.

"The Towson game was very important to [Towson], but they were embarrassing us, so it became important to us."

The Towson meeting was the second of the day for the Tigers - the first being against Delaware, a team that went 6-9 last year.

The Tigers had no problem with the Blue Hens. Princeton beat Delaware in every aspect of the game and appeared as though it was in mid-season form.

Unlike Delaware, Towson exposed Princeton's poor defensive sliding during the first quarter.

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The Tigers play a sliding zone style of defense, and they usually execute it better than anybody. Against Towson, though, the slide was not working efficiently, and Princeton gave up some easy goals early on.

Coach Tierney made some adjustments, though, and certain players raised their level of play to bring the Tigers back into the game.

"[Junior defenseman] Damien Davis really stepped up on defense to bring us back into it," senior midfielder Brendan Fallon said.

Besides the defense, improvements also needed to be made at the midfield to get the ball up to the attack to score.

"In the midfield, [sophomore] Drew Casino and [junior] Anthony Perna stepped it up," Fallon said.

"Drew Casino has established himself as one of the top face-off guys in the country," Tierney said.

Neither Casino nor Perna saw consistent starting time during last year's campaign, but will be called on frequently this year to replace Matt Bailer '01 and Matt Striebel '01.

"If you guys want to see somebody who played with a lot of heart, then get a tape of today's game, and watch No. 32 (Perna)," Tierney said to his team after the game.

In the whole scheme of things, the outcome of Sunday's game with Towson does not matter. What does matter, however, is what Princeton will learn from it. The Tigers will have a very strong team this year, but anything short of another national title would be a disappointment for a team that has won six of the last 10 national championships.

"The good news is that, in the long run, we came out of the fall with what we wanted to," Tierney said. "We showed ourselves that we have some courage and that we have to be ready for whoever we play. Going into the winter, it shows us that we have a lot of work to do. Each and every opponent will look at us as its biggest game, so it's a good lesson to learn."