Post-Boyle, Tigers need team effort

Last year at this time, men's lacrosse was a team unsure of itself and its capabilities, returning only three starters from the previous year. It was forced to balance the largest freshman class in years with the offensive leadership of just one individual, Ivy League Player of the Year, Ryan Boyle '04.

And yet, that young team somehow managed to pull off enough dramatic comebacks and gutsy plays at the right times to reach the Final Four, where it lost by one point to Navy.

This spring, even though that proven leader is now gone, those freshmen are sophomores, and seven starters are returning. One would think that the Tigers can now rely on a more solid base of experience to stretch their goals higher. In truth, this team is one that has radically changed since last year, with arguably the most talented group of freshmen Princeton has seen and an offense that has been restructured to put more control in the coaches' hands.

Senior leaders

Despite the Tigers' youth, senior leadership will still be an important part of Princeton's game on both offense and defense. Attack Jason Doneger, the leading Tiger goal scorer from a year ago, will attempt to fill Boyle's shoes in running the offense, while Oliver Barry spearheads the defense.

"If you're going to be good, your seniors have to step up, and [Doneger has] been our best player by far offensively, and Oliver Barry's been our best player by far defensively," head coach Bill Tierney said. "So with that in mind, we're hopefully off to a good start."

Senior goalie Matt Larkin will look to add stability to the team as well. Junior David Law was the undisputed starting netminder last year as a sophomore, but Larkin's improvement over the off-season has prompted Tierney to consider splitting time between the two. Larkin and Law will battle for playing time even as freshman Alex Hewit looks to gain experience and challenge them both.

One senior who will be missed is midfielder Mac Bryson. On an otherwise miraculously healthy team, Bryson is out for the rest of the year on personal medical leave but with luck will be back next year.

Complementing Doneger on the attack again this year will be sophomore Peter Trombino, who started and scored at least one goal in every game last year as a freshman. Sophomore Scott Sowanick started every game at middie last year, but he will transition to attack in order to help take over the ball-handling job that was solely Boyle's last season.

Those three will run an offense that may not be recognizable to those who watched Princeton last year. Without Boyle, who won the Major League Lacrosse Rookie of the Year Award, the offense will be more under the control of the coaches as well as perhaps slightly more fast-paced.

"Last year was more choreography, making sure everybody was doing the right thing, was in the right spots, listening to Ryan, letting him run the show out there," Tierney said. "This year, we've tried to bring it back to the coaches' hands and to try to up the tempo a little bit more so that we can take advantage of more transition opportunities."

One of the biggest surprises this year is the role the freshmen have proved themselves ready to take on. In addition to defenseman Dan Cocoziello, considered the top incoming freshman recruit in the nation, Bob Schneider and Peter Striebel will see significant playing time at midfield, and Trip Cowin and Alex Haynie will contribute at attack. Alex Berg, a face-off specialist, will also boost the Tigers' game in his first year. Both Schneider and Cocoziello are slated to start in Princeton's season opener against No. 1 Johns Hopkins tomorrow.

Last year, the Tigers were an inexperienced bunch who rode to the Final Four on raw talent and a few pillars of experience.

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This year, they have a new look and a new style, but the outcome is likely to be the same as it has been for more than a decade in Princeton lacrosse: an Ivy League title and a long playoff run that will give yet another year of Tigers a chance for a national title.