Rutgers tougher than usual for men's lax

Men's lacrosse takes a quick break from its Ivy League season tomorrow at noon when it faces instate rival No. 14 Rutgers (6-2) at Class of 1952 Stadium.

No. 6 Princeton (4-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) will be gunning for its 15th consecutive win against the Scarlet Knights, part of a lacrosse rivalry which began under the presidency of Grover Cleveland (the first of his two nonconsecutive terms, for those of you keeping score at home).

Despite the Tigers' recent dominance over their often overshadowed Garden State neighbor, this weekend's game is by no means predetermined.

Last year, Princeton was only saved by a strong fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Rutgers, who had been on the verge of upsetting the Tigers. That game was part of a turnaround season for the Scarlet Knights in which they went from a 2-12 season in 2002 to an overall record of 10-5 last year.

Rutgers has put together another a solid season so far in 2004 and again poses a significant threat to Princeton. They thrashed No. 11 Delaware earlier this year, 12-4, and just missed upsetting No. 9 Army when they lost 12-11 at West Point several weeks ago.

Rutgers is led by senior attack Delby Powless, who is averaging three goals a game this year (tied for first in the NCAA) and leads the Eastern College Athletic Conference in points. The Scarlet Knights' potent attack is bolstered by Lief Bloomquist, who leads the ECAC in assists.

Goalie worries

Princeton's biggest worry is Rutgers' star goalie, sophomore Greg Havalchak. The phenom was the Inside Lacrosse Top Freshman in the Nation last year and is putting together another stellar season in 2004.

Havalchak is third in the NCAA in save percentage, at .673. With his performances providing a strong backbone for the defense, the Scarlet Knights have allowed just over six goals a game, on average.

By comparison, Princeton's primary goalie, sophomore Dave Law, has a .545 save rate on the year and allows over nine goals per game.

Rutgers is coached by Jim Stagnitta, who was named the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's Coach of the Year in 2003. He is sure to have prepared a game plan attacking all of Princeton's weaknesses.

The Tigers enter the game coming off a rocky win against Yale. Though they did emerge with a 12-9 victory, they played a weak first two quarters, entering halftime trailing by a goal.

"We just weren't playing hard or to our potential in the first half," freshman defense Zac Jungers said. "But then coach [Bill] T[ierney] gave a really good halftime speech, and we came out a lot harder to come back."

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The Tigers will need to get that pep talk before the game starts if they are to have a chance against the Scarlet Knights.

With the skilled Rutgers offense coming to town, the play of Princeton's defense will become one of the keys of the game. It has struggled at times this year and will have to work hard to prevent the mistakes made early in the Yale game last week that allowed the Elis to pull ahead.

Also crucial for Princeton to win this game will be the play of its attackmen in finding the net behind Havalchak. Junior Jason Donegar leads the Tigers in goals this year with 18, including four in the win over Yale last week. Senior Ryan Boyle, the assist specialist, will have to be on his game to find his teammates at the most opportune times.

The winner of the Princeton-Rutgers lacrosse game is awarded the Harland (Tots) Miestrell Cup, named after the man who revived both lacrosse programs in the early twentieth century.

With Rutgers lacrosse in the middle of another revival — and Princeton seeming to need reviving during every game — the legacy of Tots is sure to live on tomorrow.