Men's lacrosse midfield important against Duke

After eight games and a gutsy 7-6 triple overtime victory over Duke last Friday, it seems that Princeton's unselfish and unheralded midfield may finally be making a name for itself.

Four midfielders combined for all of the Tiger scoring during regulation before senior attackman B.J. Prager netted the game winner in the 69th minute. On the other end of the field, defensive middies senior Kyle Baugher and junior Anthony Perna made several key stops in the waning moments of regulation and all three overtimes to help keep the Blue Devils from getting a good look at the net.

Two offensive middies stood out in the Duke game and have been racking up points throughout the year. Juniors Brad Dumont and Josh White carried the offense against the Blue Devils as Dumont recorded two goals and one assist while White hit the back of the net twice. On the season, Dumont leads all midfielders with 14 goals and 17 points, with White a close second with nine goals and four assists for 13 points.

"Brad has a green light," head coach Bill Tierney said. "Whether he has a short stick or a pole covering him, he has the freedom to attack. We're trying to get him to shoot even more.

"Josh is just a big-game player. He's strong, savvy and experienced. He's the kind of guy you really want on your team. He shows up when you need him most."

Another offensive leader in the midfield this year has been senior Dan Clark. Clark has not only provided statistical production for the team — seven goals and four assists on the year — he has also served as a steadying influence for the midfield unit.

"Dan has been our most consistent player," Tierney said. "He's comfortable and unselfish almost to a fault."

Junior Owen Daly, an integral member of last year's outstanding midfield, has had to deal with lineup changes throughout the year. Daly started the season as an offensive middie, but Tierney soon moved him into a more defensively oriented role. After playing there for most of the first half, Daly moved back to offensive middie before the Duke game. The switch paid off as Daly scored an important early goal to tie the game.

Two other main offensive weapons in the midfield are senior Mark Pellegrino and junior Matt Trevenen. Both have stepped up to help fill the void left by departed seniors Rob Torti '01 and Matt Striebel '01. Trevenen has 10 points on the year, while Pellegrino has four, including a goal against the Dukies.

Baugher, one of the team's captains, heads up the defensive midfield. The multi-talented senior fills several roles for the Tigers as a man-marker, a wing on faceoffs and also as an occasional offensive threat.

"Kyle Baugher is the leader of the midfield," Tierney said. "If he was a better shooter, he'd be an obvious first-team All America."

Baugher came up with possibly the most important play of last Friday's game. Duke won the faceoff to start the third overtime, but before the Blue Devils could advance the ball into the offensive zone, Baugher stripped the ball carrier and called timeout for Princeton. Thirty seconds later, the Tigers pulled out the win.

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

Perna, not a regular on the field, also stepped out of the shadows against Duke with several key one-on-one stops. With time winding down in regulation, Perna stuck his man cold and forced him into traffic. The ball was knocked loose and the Tigers recovered.

"Anthony's getting more time because Owen is playing up front again," Tierney said. "He's sort of a quiet warrior. He doesn't have enough experience, but his effort is unmatched."

As the season progresses, teams are starting to take note of this forceful Tiger midfield. But with its unselfish play and remarkable depth, the midfield unit may be tougher to stop than most people think.