M. lax beats up on Albany, advances to quarterfinals

After a slow and sloppy first half that left host Princeton in a 5-5 halftime deadlock, the men's lacrosse team dominated the second half by scoring seven times in the third quarter to defeat unranked Albany, 16-10, on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers, seeded fourth, advance to play Syracuse, who beat Dartmouth, 13-11, yesterday in first round action. Dartmouth led by one with three minutes left in the game before three unanswered Orange-men goals clinched the win.

Princeton traveled to the Carrier Dome earlier in the year and emerged with a thrilling, 11-10, victory. For the first time in four years Syracuse and the Tigers will not be meeting with the national title on the line.

On a day far too bitter and windy to be May, Princeton opened up just as cold. Though the team outshot Albany, 24-10, in the first half, the score was tied after 30 minutes. The Tigers were fortunate to be that close, in fact, as senior midfielder Josh White scored an unassisted goal with just four seconds to play in the second quarter.

"We've opened up that way a lot," senior midfielder Will MacColl said. "I don't know why we do it, we just have to work through it. Next week we're gonna have to come out fired up."

Showing up

In the third quarter, the Princeton team that has played in the last three national title games emerged from the locker room. The Tigers ran off the first five goals of the quarter and outscored the Great Danes, 7-1, in the frame to take a commanding 12-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

"There was nothing to say [at halftime]," head coach Bill Tierney said. "We've been in that situation before and the guys just have to find it within themselves."

Sophomore attackman Jason Doneger scored four of his five goals in the third while MacColl netted two of his own. MacColl finished the match with four goals and one assist. White provided the other goal in the quarter, aiding him in a two-goal, two-assist day of his own. "I love playoff time," White said. "It's what I look forward to all year. I've always played for the seniors since it's their last year. I know all the guys are playing for us now."

Princeton tacked on four more insurance tallies in the fourth to ice the game and provide the final cushion.

Attackmen senior Sean Hartofilis and junior Ryan Boyle had relatively quiet games compared to their norms. Hartofilis, the nation's leading goal scorer for much of the season, recorded two tallies, though it took him 14 shots to do so.

Boyle, who leads Division I in assists and overall points, picked up two dimes in the contest. However, Boyle left the game in the fourth quarter when he re-injured the right hamstring that kept him out of action earlier in the season.

Though the week's activity will determine whether Boyle can play next weekend, the injury appeared not to be too severe. Boyle said that the hamstring "tightened up." The coaching and training staff will monitor Boyle very closely during the week.

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Aside from Boyle's injury, the biggest question mark for Princeton right now is in net. Senior Julian Gould had another subpar showing in goal, allowing nine of the 10 Albany goals while making just four saves. Gould had a rough outing two weeks ago in the 13-6 drubbing the Tigers endured at the hands of the Big Green.

Struggling reserves

Depth at that position became an issue for Princeton when sophomore backup Matt Larkin suffered a season-ending thumb injury. The backup now is freshman Dave Law, who played the final six minutes on Saturday.

Law gave up one goal without recording a save in one of the few times he has seen action all season.

Tierney had few answers to questions about Gould. He offered only a soft response.

"Julian's always bounced back," Tierney said. "You can't put the blame on any one guy. The bottom line is if we shoot well, we should be fine."

Despite the importance of shooting, when Princeton takes on Syracuse next week, it cannot afford to make the same mistakes it made on Saturday against a clearly weaker Albany team.

Syracuse will capitalize on opportunities, and the Tigers are going to need solid play from front to back. A lapse in net or anywhere else could shatter the dreams of a national championship for 13 deserving seniors.