Former Tiger lacrosse standout living a dream

Every little boy dreams of playing pro sports. He imagines himself winning championships, becoming an All-American in college, and being a top draft pick. The dream then has him enter prime time with a splash, showing no hesitation in becoming one of his sports' shining lights. He wins the Rookie of the Year award, and his team wins the national championship. Then comes the part where the boy wakes up. Unless, that is, the boy's name happens to be Ryan Boyle '04.

Boyle left Princeton last spring second all-time in points and assists for the Tigers. In his senior year he led an inexperienced Princeton team to the NCAA Final Four, and won his second Roper Trophy as the Ivy League Player of the Year.

Graduating with a degree in psychology last spring, he was the second overall pick in the Major League Lacrosse draft. Though selected by the Rochester Rattlers, he was traded on draft night to the Philadelphia Barrage.

When Boyle joined the Barrage, the franchise was coming off of a 2003 season in which it had won only one game, and had started 2004 by going 1-3 (the MLL season starts before the NCAA season ends). In his first professional game, against the Baltimore Bayhawks, Boyle scored two goals and had three assists.

"I didn't know what to expect, but it's very instinctual, without much of a structured offense," Boyle said. "It's a much faster-paced game. Not so much the speed of the players, but with the 45-second shot clock you always have to be aggressive. I really like it because you get to take more chances and risks."

The shot clock, which doesn't exist in the NCAA, is one of several slight rule differences between the college and professional game, others of which include a two-point shot line 15 yards from the goal and a limit on long-stick defensemen.

Though he has adapted well to the quicker, more improvisational style of play, Boyle has struggled with some aspects of his new surroundings.

"The game is much more physical," Boyle said. "There are a lot of hits, a lot of checks, and a lot of holds that the referees let slide in the pros that they wouldn't in college."

As the season progressed, Boyle learned to cope with the increased physicality and began to come into his own, as did the Barrage. Helping the transition were two other Princeton alumni playing for Philadelphia — B.J. Prager '02 and Matt Striebel '01. All three were teammates on Princeton's 2001 NCAA national championship team.

The reunited teammates, along with standout goalie Greg Cattrano and the rest of the talented squad, slowly became the six-team league's dominant force. After posting a 2-5 record at the halfway point of its season, Philadelphia went on a seven-game winning streak to end the summer. The streak culminated in playoff victories over Rochester and Boston to seal its championship season.

Boyle played the same key role for this team as he had become accustomed to in his years at Princeton, that of the assist specialist. Despite missing the first four games of the season, Boyle's 28 assists and 45 total points still managed to set league records for a rookie, so he wasn't shocked when his name was read for the Cascade Rookie of the Year Award.

"Everyone knew it would be either myself or [Rochester Rattlers goalie] Tillman [Johnson], so I wasn't too surprised, but it's still tremendous."

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The competition for the award was somewhat lesser than it could have been this season, however. The number one pick in the draft, NCAA player of the year Michael Powell of Syracuse, declined to play for Major League Lacrosse, to the disappointment of the team that drafted him, the Baltimore Bayhawks.

"I think he was a little worn out. I completely understood his decision," Boyle said.

The Rookie of the Year award was given to Boyle at a luncheon just the day before the championship game, which made it quite a weekend to end his first season.

Though he has reached similar pinnacles in each arena, Boyle sees his successes at Princeton and as a professional as markedly different.

Though his season with the Barrage was "just as much fun," Boyle admits to not even living in Philadelphia, as he was able to commute from his home outside Baltimore for the one practice and one game per week.

"In college, you practice every day, and just put in hours and hours, and you have so much invested," he said. "It's just so much more gratifying to win after that."

Now that the season is over, Boyle has several things on his plate. He'll be taking a cross country road trip with a friend in two weeks' time, and plans on playing for an indoor lacrosse team in San Jose, Calif., this winter. Suffice it to say that compared to the average '04er slogging away at an entry-level nine-to-five job, Ryan Boyle counts himself pretty lucky.