It's the final home game for 13 seniors. It's the beginning of the journey to what is hopefully a fourth consecutive spot in the national title game. Saturday's first round NCAA tournament game against Albany does not need any hype.
Men's lacrosse (10-3 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) is seeded fourth in the tournament and will be facing an Albany squad that it has never faced before.
"On Sunday, we didn't know much about them," head coach Bill Tierney said. "Now we do."
What Tierney knows is that this game cannot be taken lightly.
"They are athletic and they are not afraid, that's for sure," he said.
On offense, Princeton should expect to see a variety of looks from the Great Danes. The team is preparing to see any combination of man-to-man, zone, and shutdown defensive schemes.
"They have shown to be very versatile on defense," Tierney said. "By this point in the year, you've seen it all."
Albany presents a challenge on the offensive end with a slew of talented players.
The Tigers are not sure what to expect from Albany. They could be tempted to use a slow-it-down style similar to what Loyola used effectively against the Tigers.
"Loyola proved [slowing it down] works to some extent," Tierney said. However, Tierney would not be surprised if the Great Danes tried to fast break the Tigers, especially off the face-off. Princeton will mostly use its traditional man-to-man style of defense.
The Tigers' senior midfielders will play a large role in determining how Princeton plays tomorrow. They will be counted on to help score goals on offense and to help defend Albany's talented attackmen on defense.
Scoring continues to be a problem for the Tigers, as the team has averaged just over 11 goals per contest.
"We can't score 11 goals a game for four games and expect to win the national title," Tierney said.
Midfielders need to pick up some of the scoring slack in order for Princeton to advance deep in the tournament and need to focus specifically on improving their shooting.
The first 10 minutes of Saturday's contest will be very telling for how the game will go.
"We need to get off to a good start because that would make things a lot easier," Tierney said.
If practice is any indication then the Tigers should be just fine tomorrow. "This week has been really good," Tierney said. "Lots of energy and attentiveness — they know what's at stake."
Injuries are still a concern for the Tigers entering this game. Senior midfielder Owen Daly will suit up but it is not certain that he will play. He may see some limited action depending on the outcome.
Junior midfielder Drew Casino received promising news this week when it was discovered that he had not torn his rotator cuff and would not need surgery. There is a chance that he could be back before the end of the season.
Should Princeton beat Albany tomorrow, it would then travel to Syracuse to play the winner of tomorrow's Dartmouth-Syracuse contest. A Syracuse win would set up a rematch of the previous three national title games. Princeton would get a chance to exact revenge against Dartmouth in the second round were the Big Green to beat the Orangemen.
Looking ahead to next week is one of the worst things that the Tigers can do, however. Instead, maintaining a focus on this game will likely be the key to success on Saturday.
"Now reality is here," Tierney said. "Saturday could be your last game and it's hard to handle that."
While it will be the last home game, 13 seniors are looking to make sure that it is not their last game overall.
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