Boyle leads m. lax into 2004 season against Quinnipiac

If, as a loyal follower of Princeton lacrosse, you find yourself in the stands for Saturday's matchup with Quinnipiac, stay calm. Don't panic if, at first, the only things that seem familiar are the white jerseys trimmed with orange and black and the even, controlled tempo that has become the Tigers' trademark.

Look closer. You'll recognize Ryan Boyle, the senior attacker who led the nation in points and assists last season. You'll also see junior Jason Doneger, whose 2.73 goals per game at attack in 2003 were enough to make him the third-leading scorer in Division I. If you have a keen eye, you may also pick out senior Ricky Schultz and junior Oliver Barry, who started games as defensemen last season.

But the list of current players who have started a game at Princeton ends there. That puts a bit of pressure on a squad that is consistently among the country's best and whose expectations routinely include a trip to the national championship game.

Last season, on the way to a quarterfinal loss in the NCAAs, Princeton faced Quinnipiac in April, winning 14-3 despite playing without an injured Boyle. This Saturday, the Bobcats visit Class of 1952 Stadium for the Tigers' season opener at 1 p.m.

This season will likely be the greatest challenge of his Princeton career for Boyle, a four-year starter and a three-time All-American.

Three years ago, Boyle was honing his skills in preparation for his first game in a Princeton uniform. The heralded recruit was widely considered the nation's best prep player during his time at Baltimore's Gilman High School. Now, as a Tiger, he was expected to step in and contribute immediately.

In Boyle's first game as a Tiger he assisted on half of the team's goals and Princeton, who entered the 2001 season ranked No. 2 in the country, ran out to an early lead and humbled a tough Johns Hopkins squad, 8-4.

Boyle went on that year to lead the Tigers in points and assists, threading passes from behind the cage to names like B.J. Prager '02, Sean Hartofilis '03, and Matt Striebel '01. No single pass was more significant that season than his last, when he whipped the ball to Prager, who fired the ball into the net to earn Princeton the 2001 National Championship with a 10-9 overtime victory against Syracuse.

Boyle's performance as a freshman sent ripples through the lacrosse world, and in the past two years he has continued to add to his impressive list of accolades, which includes Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore, first-team All-America as a junior, and a spot on the U.S. National Team in the summer of 2002. It seems that the only thing that Boyle has left to do is to marshal the Tigers to another championship, the way he did as a freshman.

For three years, the names around him have changed but his performance has not. Losing teammates to graduation has not stalled Boyle, whose stats have improved each year.

Although the Tigers lost five All-America standouts from last year's roster, they do return Doneger, who is as potent a finisher as Boyle is a passer. Doneger equaled Hartofilis for the team lead in goals scored last spring, and now, as a junior, he has been asked to share the reins of team leadership with Boyle.

But while the pair is as dangerous a combination as any in the country, it will be the play of the younger players that dictates Tierney's success in his 17th year at the helm.

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Quinnipiac should provide an excellent tuneup for the youthful Tigers, who go on to face national powers Johns Hopkins and Virginia on consecutive weekends to open the month of March. Those two teams met in last year's NCAA championship game, with the Cavaliers pulling out a narrow victory over the explosive Blue Jay squad.

When Boyle steps on to the field on Saturday, expect him to start his final season with the same success he found in his first game at Princeton. What the star attackman and the rest of the Tigers truly hope, however, is that they will finish the year the same way they finished Boyle's rookie campaign, with something else Princeton fans will recognize — another national championship.