Princeton and Georgetown have met four times in men's lacrosse, with the most recent of those games in 1996. In the four contests, the Tigers have outscored the Hoyas 65-10. In 1996, Princeton won by a laughable count of 13-2. Don't expect that overwhelming dominance to continue.
Tomorrow, the two teams will meet for the fifth time in a game with decidedly higher stakes and better talent in the NCAA quarterfinals at Hofstra University. Georgetown (12-2), the fifth seed, advanced to the game by knocking off Manhattan in the first round of the tournament. Princeton (8-4 overall, 5-1 Ivy League), seeded fourth, received a first round bye.
If Princeton is to advance to the Final Four this year, it will have to contend with the much-improved Hoyas. In fact, until late in the season, Georgetown was the only remaining undefeated team in Division I. Two late losses hurt the Hoyas, though the team still finished with an impressive 12-2 mark after a 9-0 start.
Princeton seemed to suffer from the opposite problem this year. After getting off to a rocky start, the Tigers finished strong. After a 2-4 start to the year, Princeton closed with six straight wins, including five in conference play. Two crucial victories over Cornell and Brown late in the year gave the Tigers their eighth straight league crown.
For Princeton to continue its winning ways, the team will have to find a way to handle Hoya attackman Steve Dusseau. Dusseau was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year after recording 52 goals and 15 assists. In the process, Dusseau set the Georgetown single season record for goals scored and currently has 129 goals and 168 total points in his career.
The Tigers counter with one of the strongest defensive units in the country. Led by senior Scott Farrell, junior Damien Davis and junior netminder Julian Gould, the back line has let opponents average just over six goals per game during the winning streak.
On the offensive end of the field, Princeton will look to create opportunities through sophomore Ryan Boyle. Boyle, who was the National High School Player of the Year two seasons ago and Ivy League Rookie of the Year last year, was named Ivy League Player of the Year late last week. Boyle has tallied a point in every game he has played in college and leads the team with 44 points on 17 goals and 27 assists this year.
Joining Boyle on attack are linemates senior B.J. Prager and junior Sean Hartofilis. Prager was also named first team All-Ivy while Hartofilis made the second team.
Junior midfielder Brad Dumont and Davis join Prager and Boyle as first team selections, while Farrell and senior midfielder Kyle Baugher were picked for the second team. Junior midfielder Josh White received honorable mention.
On paper, the Tigers look tough. The majority of the team's starting lineup received postseason awards. Unfor-tunately, none of that matters once Princeton steps on the field tomorrow. At 3:00 p.m. at Hofstra Stadium, the players will leave behind their accolades and play 60 minutes of lacrosse.
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