Young Tiger team still a national contender

Kicking off a schedule that will bring it face-to-face with the most talented teams in the country, men's lacrosse faces perennial rival No. 1 Johns Hopkins tomorrow at three p.m. at Class of 1952 stadium.

The Tigers, who enter the season ranked No. 3 in the nation, and the Blue Jays have opened their seasons against each other 14 of the past 15 years and have played each other at least once every season since 1945. Hopkins has won three of the past four meetings, including last year's 14-5 trouncing.

"They have the most talent in the country, and they're very well coached," head coach Bill Tierney said. "They've got a senior-laden, experienced group. It's going to be quite a challenge."

The Blue Jays are led by midfielder Kyle Harrison, the National Midfielder of the Year in 2004, and attack Kyle Barrie, a two-time All-American. Against a team that plays a similar game, but with superior depth, speed and experience, the Tigers will need something special to pull off a win.

"It's going to be a battle of wits a little bit between two very similar teams," Tierney added. "I hope we can shoot the ball well, get to their goalie a little bit and hopefully win some face-offs."

Hopkins, though perhaps the most daunting hurdle on the schedule, is only the start of a 12-game regular season that is mostly against non-conference opponents in the first half and Ivy League foes in the second half.

Streaking Wahoos

Next weekend, Princeton heads to Charlottesville, Va., to begin its spring break with a showdown against No. 6 Virginia (2-0 overall). After a disappointing season last year in which the Cavaliers finished with a 5-8 record and failed to make the playoffs, the Cavaliers are back with a vengeance, having destroyed their first two opponents by a combined score of 34-9. Junior attack Matt Ward has eight goals, and freshman Ben Rubeor has made an immediate impact with six assists so far.

"Virginia had a really weird year last year, but they'll go from top to bottom to top again very quickly," Tierney said. "Other than maybe Hopkins, Virginia might have the most talent [in the country]."

After Virginia, Princeton gets a slight respite from top-10 competition when it travels to New York to play Hofstra, a key game to help shape the kind of team they will become.

The following weekend, the Tigers host what might be the most exciting rivalry in college lacrosse, as the No. 2 Syracuse Orange (1-0) come to town for the Orange and Black's second home game of the season.

Syracuse had a disappointing preseason, losing a lopsided scrimmage to a strong Maryland squad. Proving that great teams rise to the occasion, in the Orange's first game of the year, they defeated a No. 15 Army team that had handed Princeton a defeat in the preseason. Syracuse was led by four goals from junior attack Brian Crockett. As the last game against a top-five team until the playoffs, this game will provide a measuring stick for how Princeton will need to play in the post-season.

Improving Ivies

Ivy League play commences with an away game at Yale on April 2, which should be an easy transition to league play for the Tigers. Yale won only one league game last year, but the Bulldogs, as well as the rest of the teams in the Ivy League, should not be underestimated.

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"The rest of the league, like the rest of lacrosse in general, is getting better," Tierney said. "The top teams are staying the top teams because they get the top players. Division I men's lacrosse isn't going to grow. As the talent pool gets bigger, they're going to go to more schools, and you're going to see more competition."

Princeton has won at least a share of the Ivy League title for the past 10 years. Should the Tigers repeat this feat again this year, they would become the first team in any sport to win 11 consecutive Ivy titles.

The biggest challenge within the league will be No. 10 Cornell. The Big Red have shared the Ivy title with Princeton for the past two years and return almost all of its key role players. They will pose a significant threat to the Tigers' title hopes. Cornell was the only Ivy team to beat Princeton last year, and while that defeat came at home, this year the Tigers will have to travel to Ithaca to defend their claim as the best lacrosse team in the Ivy League.

But this Princeton team — like every Orange and Black squad in recent memory — has larger aspirations than just an Ivy League title. For the Tigers, nothing less than playing deep into May is acceptable.