"That's ok, they'll win the rest."
"They'll be back, we're not worried."
"They're still the best, just haven't found their groove."
Such statements have been surprisingly common in the press box after the men's lacrosse games this season. The entire lacrosse community expects so much out of the Tigers, and the players and coaches expect even more.
The above statements are still made after each loss, but now with a little more trepidation. The less loyal fans are wondering if this team will be able to make it to the NCAA Tournament, much less win another national championship.
The defending national champs are a disappointing 4-4 and 1-1 in the Ivy League. One silver lining to the cloud is that the Tigers have lost their four games by a combined 10 goals (2.5 per game), but have won by a combined 33 (8.25). Everyone knows they can still play with the best teams, even top-ranked Syracuse.
Below are the midterm grades on the squad, with a description of what has been going on this season.
Attack
Out of all the lines, the most is expected from the attack. Led by senior BJ Prager, junior Sean Hartofilis, and sophomore Ryan Boyle, the group has not quite lived up to the expectation, but has put forth a solid effort nonetheless. The trio exploded for 10 goals in about three quarters of playing time against Penn, but in their last game, against Duke, they only managed one goal in triple overtime - and that was on a mishandled feed by Prager that happened to hit his shoulder and roll into the net.
The stats are as such for the front line: Boyle 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points; Hartofilis 15 goals, 5 assists, 20 points; Prager 17 goals, 1 assist 18 points. Grade: B
Midfield
In contrast with the attack, not very much was expected from the midfield. The team lost three starters from last year — Matt Bailer '01, Matt Striebel '01, and Rob Torti '01 — to graduation.
With opposing defenses focusing on the Princeton attack, the midfield has been given the opportunity to step up and put forth some big numbers. Juniors Brad Dumont, Josh White, and Owen Daly, along with senior Dan Clark, have combined for 47 points on the season, and notched six of the goals in the 7-6 win over Duke. Grade: A-
Defensive Transition
Against Yale, poor defense on the transition killed the Tigers. The Elis took advantage of countless fast break opportunities that resulted in easy shots at the goal's doorstep. Other than Yale, the transition has been fine. Grade: B-
Defense
Princeton had the best defense in the country last year but lost the top players in their respective positions, goalie Trevor Tierney '01 and defenseman Ryan Mollett '01, to graduation. Junior Julian Gould stepped in for Tierney and junior Brian Lieberman stepped in for Mollett for mostly positive results. Gould has been pretty solid on the season, but slightly erratic. The Yale game's 33 percent save percentage comes to mind.
The defense has also played well, one of the most impressive performances being junior Damien Davis' blanketing of all-world Syracuse lacrosse attack Michael Powell. The often unheralded defensive midfielders have also done a fine job in handling the opposing attack. Grade: B+
Overall
The No. 11 national ranking in the USILA poll is misleading. The standings have the Tigers behind No. 10 Hofstra, a team Princeton embarrassed 12-4 on Mar. 16. In reality, the Tigers probably play like a top five team instead of No. 11.
Still, the most common standard of comparison for this Princeton team is against last year's overachievers, and the Tigers have not consistently played as well as the 2001 team did. For instance, one of head coach Bill Tierney's strengths over the years has been winning the close games. This year the team has lost four out of five games in which the scoring margin has been three goals or fewer. Grade: B-
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