Offense to unload on Yale in Ivy opener

It's midway through the season and the men's lacrosse team has found its groove. Over spring break, No. 7 Princeton (4-2 overall, 0-0 Ivy League) notched two victories — a 5-4 win over Hofstra on March 18 and a 17-3 trouncing of Bellarmine on March 24.

This weekend, the Tigers take their newfound confidence on the road, facing Yale (4-2, 0-2) in New Haven, Conn., in their first Ivy League matchup of the season.

In the two wins over spring break, Princeton saw a tremendous increase in its offensive production, especially in the game against Bellarmine. In that game, the Tigers took 52 shots on goal, capitalizing on 32 percent of these attempts. In the team's two losses this season — at the hands of No. 2 Virginia and No. 5 Johns Hopkins — Princeton took a combined total of 80 shots and only found the back of the net 12 times.

Head coach Bill Tierney noted that the increase in productivity could be an indication that his new-look offense is starting to click.

"The lesson we are trying to teach is that shooting is no different against Bellarmine or Virginia," Tierney said. "So why were they so relaxed [against Bellarmine]? They had really great shots. Everyone played well. We had a great break week. We will see what happens this Saturday."

While the offense has been firing on all cylinders, the defense has played solidly. Anchoring the Tigers' stingy defense is junior goalie Alex Hewit. The preseason first team All-America selection currently has a 6.19 goals-against average. On top of his goaltending abilities, Hewit has also gotten involved in the offensive onslaught. Against Bellarmine, he recorded his first career assist when he traveled up the field and passed the ball to senior attack Peter Trombino, who put the ball in the net for the Tigers' first goal of the day.

Another big reason for the Orange and Black's success on defense has been the excellent play of senior defender Zach Jungers and junior defender Dan Cocoziello. Both players have proven that they can shut down some of the nation's top scorers. In the game against Hofstra, Jungers held attack Tom Dooley — the Pride's leading scorer — without a goal. Thus far this season, Princeton has held every opponent to single digits.

Tierney recognized that, though certain players may stand out, a big reason for Princeton's defensive success is that the team functions as a cohesive whole.

"We are comfortable in the things we are doing," Tierney said. "[Assistant coach] Greg Raymond gets all the credit. He has pulled the defense together as a team. We tweak it each week, but in general we rely on the same seven or eight guys. They are really talented."

Yale is coming off a decisive victory of its own, defeating the University of Hartford by a score of 18-3 this past Tuesday evening. The Tigers, however, will not be so easy a test, and the Bulldogs will certainly have their hands full against Princeton's resurgent attack.

All eyes will be on Yale goalie George Carafides to slow the Tigers' offensive firepower. Last season against Princeton, in a game that the Tigers won by a score of 12-8, Carafides recorded a season-high 15 saves. Against Yale last season, Trombino had the game of his career, scoring three goals and three assists. Sophomore attack Tommy Davis and senior midfielder Scott Sowanick also had hat tricks.

Leading the Bulldogs in scoring this season is attack Tyler Casertano, with eight goals and 15 assists. Along with Casertano, attack Brendan Gibson has been a great addition the Yale offense. The freshman has tallied a team-high 16 goals, along with four assists.

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Against Hofstra, Tierney faced his nephew Seth Tierney, who is in his first year as head coach of the Pride. Against Yale, Tierney will face a familiar foe when he looks across the sideline — Bulldog head coach Andy Shay also hails from a New York suburb and played high school lacrosse in the same town where Tierney attended college at Cortland State.

If Princeton's offense continues to click and if the defense stays solid, the Tigers could be a tough team to beat down the stretch.