No. 13 men's lacrosse has won the Ivy League title for 10 consecutive years. On Saturday, league play commences once again for the Tigers (0-4 overall, 0-0 Ivy League) when they travel to New Haven to play Yale. This year finds the Orange and Black hungrier than ever for the title. Here are the teams Princeton will have to take down to earn the title that would earn them an automatic NCAA tournament berth.
Yale
The Bulldogs (4-2, 1-1) have already shown significant improvement over last year, when they finished in the Ivy League cellar with a league record of 1-5. Their four wins have come in convincing fashion, including a 15-7 victory over Penn in Philadelphia, as well as two other wins with double-digit victory margins. Their two losses both came against nationally ranked opponents, as they dropped their season opener to No. 12 UMass, 12-6, and then lost a home game last weekend to No. 11 Cornell, 15-6.
Penn
The Tigers travel to Penn (1-6, 0-2) on April 5, only three days after playing Yale, in what will be their sole weekday game of the year. The Quakers have struggled early this season, picking up their only win in a low-scoring early season game against Air Force. This comes as a disappointment to a team that was ranked No. 18 in the preseason coaches' poll. Despite its poor record, Penn can't be taken lightly by the Tigers, as many of its losses have come by slim margins and only two of its seven games have been played at home. In their most recent contest, the Quakers dropped a heartbreaker to Harvard, after a Crimson goal with only 21 seconds remaining on the clock gave Harvard the 8-7 win.
Harvard
Harvard (4-1, 1-0) is another Ivy League team that has shown improvement early in the season. It won't be an easy home game for the Tigers when the Crimson come to New Jersey on April 16. Harvard is a team that has flirted with the national rankings all season and is one goal away from being undefeated. The Crimson has an experienced team and are looking to improve upon last season's 2-4 Ivy record.
Cornell
If anyone is going to end Princeton's run of Ivy titles, the smart-money pick would be No. 11 Cornell (3-2, 1-0). The Tigers have been waiting all year to get at the Big Red ever since Cornell came up with a 12-11 overtime victory on Princeton's turf last season. The Orange and Black will get that chance for revenge when they travel to Ithaca on April 23.
Cornell has shared the Ancient Eight title with the Tigers for the past two years. Last year, the Big Red made it to the NCAA quarterfinals, finishing with an overall record of 9-5. Despite some big losses from its roster, Cornell has the most talented team in the league after Princeton, which was made clear in its dominating victory over Yale last weekend.
Dartmouth
No. 17 Dartmouth (3-2, 0-0) may be the dark horse in the Ivy race this year. Two seasons ago it shared the top spot in the league with Princeton and Cornell. With a pool of veterans left from that 2003 season when it made its first NCAA tournament, the Big Green has made its case for another great year with a victory over No. 4 Maryland two weeks ago. The Tigers will take on Dartmouth at home on April 30.
Brown
No. 20 Brown (3-1, 0-0) will be the final hurdle on Princeton's schedule. Depending on how the rest of the season goes, the May 7 home game could be a must-win contest for the Tigers as they attempt to clinch their 11th straight title and guarantee themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament. Already this season, the Bears pulled off a dominating 10-2 victory over No. 14 Hofstra, a team that handed Princeton its third loss of the year.
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