In the world of sports, familiarity breeds contempt. Just ask the Red Sox and the Yankees, the Patriots and the Jets, and the Celtics and Lakers, and we can see how true this axiom is.
Rivalries help define a sport, and Princeton (11-3 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) and Syracuse (9-5) have done just that for college lacrosse. When the Tigers take the field tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. to take on the Orangemen at Syracuse, it will mark the sixth consecutive year in which the two teams have met in the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday's quarterfinal matchup will pit the two teams that have dominated lacrosse for the last 15 years. One of them has won 13 of the last 15 national titles, and the two have met in the title game the last three seasons.
Despite the fact that this game is on the road, Princeton should not be fazed since it is a perfect 7-0 away from home this year. That includes a nail-biting, come-from-behind victory over these same Orangemen back in March. After trailing 8-4 in the second half, the Tigers rallied for an 11-10 win.
Senior goalie Julian Gould saved the game by stopping a point blank shot from the stick of Michael Springer as time expired.
Syracuse came limping into the tournament having lost three of their last four games. They needed a three-goal scoring spurt in the final three minutes against Dartmouth last weekend in the first round to escape with a 13-11 victory.
In addition to the Princeton loss, the Orangemen also dropped games against Rutgers, Hofstra and UMass. The Tigers defeated both Rutgers and Hofstra but did not play the Minutemen.
Syracuse will be led by its attackmen, junior Michael Powell and senior Michael Springer. Powell won Attackman of the Year honors in his first two years in college and last year also won the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the nation's top player. He has 55 points this year, with 31 goals and 24 assists.
His running mate Springer also has 55 points on the year, scoring 27 goals and chipping in with 28 assists. He not only has excellent vision with the ball, but he also has a very quick shot.
What this means is that the Princeton defense will have to play its best game. Seniors Damien Davis and Brian Lieberman will likely be matched up one-on-one with the two superstars.
In the first meeting between the teams, Davis singlehandedly guarded Powell, holding the junior to no points, which marked the first game of Powell's career in which he failed to register a point.
In addition to the defense, senior netminder Julian Gould will have to bring his "A"-game. Gould has had subpar outings in two of the last three games, making only three saves in the loss to Dartmouth and only four saves in the first round win over Albany.
The good news for the Tigers is that in Gould's two years in net, he has yet to have two bad games in a row. Four times he has had a save percentage of under .500, and every time Princeton has won the next game. The Tigers hope that the results of tomorrow's contest will follow that trend.
On offense, Princeton must remain patient and pick its shots carefully. Ball and player movement are the keys to the smooth functioning of the offense. When players stop moving, the offense stagnates and shots are harder to come by.
Much of the Tigers' success will depend on the play of junior attack and co-captain Ryan Boyle. Against Albany, Boyle aggravated a hamstring injury that forced him to miss a game earlier this year. He is expected to start tomorrow.
As always, the Tigers will need a balanced scoring attack and more production out of senior attackman Sean Hartofilis. The New York native has only eight goals in the last four games in which he has played after scoring 27 goals in the first eight games.
Hartofolis and the remaining seniors are well aware of what it will take to beat Syracuse, having played them seven times in their careers. The rivalry with the Orangemen has thrived in their four years, and the next chapter will be written tomorrow afternoon under the lights of the Carrier Dome.
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