Tough tests keep coming

After the No. 6 men's lacrosse team (2-1) suffered a 7-6 loss to No. 2 Virginia on Sunday, head coach Bill Tierney was left wondering what might have happened had just a single shot found its way into the net.

"Any one shot on goal can be the difference," Tierney said. "We need to concentrate on every opportunity."

No. 9 Hofstra (3-1) knows that fact well, as last season the Pride defeated the Tigers, 9-8, with just a single goal deciding the contest. After suffering disappointing seasons last year, both the Tigers and the Pride have served notice in this young season that they're back and capable of playing at the highest level. When they meet up this Saturday, March 18 at Class of 1952 Stadium, the eyes of the nation will be on them.

Despite losing the Virginia game, Tierney feels the Tigers took away a number of lessons from the game and proved they belong among the best teams in the country.

"We have got to take care of the little things and protect the ball on offense," Tierney said. "We lost a huge opportunity, but it was confidence building in that we can compete at that level."

It's confidence they'll need going into a matchup with a high scoring Hofstra team that has jumped onto the national scene with some impressive wins.

After losing their first game to No. 7 Massachusetts, Hofstra has been on fire, racking up wins over No. 13 Johns Hopkins, Brown and North Carolina. The Johns Hopkins game was an 11-6 thumping, as Hofstra was led by freshman Tom Dooley, who netted three goals. Junior Athan Ianucci is Hofstra's offensive weapon of choice, proving himself deadly with 11 goals in the Pride's first three games.

"They're much more powerful shooters," Tierney said of Hofstra's offensive unit. "Hofstra was able to score where we didn't."

Princeton's strength so far has been its defense, which managed to stifle Johns Hopkins in the Tigers' 6-4 win in Baltimore and was showcased again against Virginia. Sophomore goalie Alex Hewit was impressive, tallying 20 saves in a performance that garnered him a nomination for the Inside Lacrosse Magazine Division I Player of the Week award. The Tigers held Virginia to 10 goals below its per-game average in the contest.

"Alex was fabulous," Tierney said. "We know we've got a great goalie; Alex gives our defense confidence."

Along with his talented defensive unit, considered by many to be the best in the country, Hewit has held opponents to an average of 5.7 goals per game over three games. This compares favorably to the 9.7 goals against average the Orange and Black had at this point last season.

But in the end, Tierney knows the Tigers' offense will have to step up to match the contributions of its defense, as Princeton's current scoring levels are not enough to win games at the highest level.

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"We know we have to stop [Hofstra]," Tierney said, "And we have to start scoring."

So far this season Princeton has been led offensively by the steady play of junior attack Pete Trombino, but freshmen Tommy Davis and Mark Kovler have wasted no time jumping into the mix as the team's other leading goal scorers. A number of other young players have also stepped up, as fourteen Tigers have scored so far this season.

After the challenge of Hofstra, Princeton will face two unranked foes over spring break before beginning the grueling Ivy League schedule. Princeton will take on Butler (1-4) and Binghamton (3-1) at home on March 24 and 26, respectively.

After a string of top-10 opponents, it's reasonable that a team might be less focused to take on an unranked opponent, but after last season's losses, Tierney feels the Tigers know not to take any team for granted.

"Every game is so important, especially in a year like this with so many upsets," Tierney said. "You can't lose focus. After last year, I think the reminder is still clear enough."

Binghamton has had an upset-minded season so far and perhaps deserves a top-20 ranking after recent wins. The team's only loss has been to No. 5 Cornell, and the Bearcats have racked up impressive wins over then No. 8 Towson and then No. 17 Hobart.

Princeton will look to use wins over Butler and Binghamton to get a running start into the Ivy League season, which Tierney knows is going to be a long and difficult stretch. Four Ivy League teams are currently ranked among the top 16 in the nation.

But as Princeton takes one game at a time, the offense will also look to take one shot at a time, because when it comes to crunch time every goal counts, as Tierney knows so well. He has, after all, won four of his six national championships by a single goal. After missing the NCAA tournament last year, every game counts for the Tigers as they look to reclaim their place as a major player on the national stage.