M. lax still winless

On an overcast day at Class of 1952 Stadium, the men's lacrosse team struggled to find its offense early and fell to No. 8 Syracuse (2-3 overall), 10-8, on Saturday. The loss dropped No. 15 Princeton to 0-4 on the season, the team's worst start since 1986, and threatened the team's position in the top 20.

Just as the sun was unable to break through the clouds, the Tigers were unable to break through the Orange defense until seven minutes, 59 seconds remained in the second quarter. At that point, sophomore attack Scott Sowanick took a feed from sophomore midfielder Mike Gaudio and sent a laser past Syracuse goalie Jay Pfeifer into the top left corner of the goal.

In spite of the lack of scoring and sloppy play early in the game, Princeton remained close thanks to the stellar play of senior goalie Matt Larkin. It was the first start of Larkin's career, after his first three seasons as a backup.

"I've been waiting four years for it. I was just pumped," Larkin said. "It's the first time I've ever, in a Princeton uniform, gotten to cross the line and shake hands with the other goalie."

Despite his inexperience, Larkin played like a seasoned veteran. He made eight saves in the first half, including one in which he used his hip to block a behind-the-back shot taken right on the edge of the crease. He finished with 13 saves on the afternoon.

After relying solely on Larkin's skill, the Tigers' offense eventually came to life, starting with a goal by freshman midfielder Zach Goldberg. It was the first goal of Goldberg's collegiate career and brought Princeton to within one, 3-2, where they remained as the teams went into the locker rooms at halftime.

The Tigers emerged from the break reenergized, and sophomore attack Peter Trombino proceeded to score three goals in the first 3:08 of the second half.

The first score came a mere 15 seconds into the third quarter, when junior midfielder Mike Wenzel fed Trombino on the crease. Trombino's successful shot tied the game at three for Princeton.

Just 45 seconds later, Trombino corralled the rebound from senior attack Jason Donneger's shot off the pipe and sent the ball through the legs of Pfeifer to give the Tigers the lead. Trombino scored again at 11:52 in the third to put Princeton up by two.

The momentum seemed to be in the Tigers' favor at this point, but the relentless Orange attack refused to let Princeton pull away. The Tigers' lead began to slip away when Syracuse attack Mike Leveille scored with 1:24 left in the third quarter. At the time, Princeton led 6-5.

Leveille's score began a five-goal run for the Orange that lasted for 6:36 between the third and fourth quarters.

"Peter [Trombino] got off to a great start in the third quarter and got us going. We just weren't good enough to sustain it," head coach Bill Tierney said.

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The goal that gave Syracuse the lead at 7-6 came with 1.2 seconds remaining in the third, prolonging a stretch during which the Tigers have not led at the end of any of the 16 quarters they have played this season.

By the time sophomore midfielder Whitney Hayes got Princeton back on board with 8:27 left in regulation, the Tigers trailed by four, and their chances to get their first win looked bleak.

Gaudio scored on a high bounce shot with 3:27 remaining to bring Princeton to within two, but the Orange were able to possess the ball and run out the clock before the Tigers could complete their comeback. A slashing penalty called on sophomore defenseman Zach Jungers with 1:48 doomed Princeton's effort.

Despite the loss, Tierney stood by his team.

"I'm extremely confident that this is a good lacrosse team," Tierney said. "We've played four of the top teams in the country. Certainly No. 1 [Hopkins] and No. 2 [Virginia], and if this team [Syracuse] isn't going to be close to three by the end of the year, I'll be surprised."

The Tigers hope that the experience gained from the stiff early-season competition will help them later in the year.

"I told them that we can grow off of this one," Tierney said. "I really believe that when we get the first one we're going to be a tough team."

Princeton's next chance to get its first one comes on Saturday against Yale (3-2) when the Tigers begin Ivy League play. Princeton has won 10 straight Ivy League championships but must turn its season around — quickly — to keep that streak alive.