Big Green pose quiet threat

In sports, a team's record often belies its actual talent. The No. 7 men's lacrosse team will have to keep this in mind tomorrow when it faces off against Dartmouth at noon at Class of 1952 Stadium.

The Big Green (4-7 overall, 1-3 Ivy League) may not be turning any heads in the Ivy standings, but the team has proven itself against many ranked opponents this season. Last weekend Dartmouth dropped a 10-9 decision to No. 3 Virginia when the Cavaliers netted the deciding goal with one minute, 28 seconds remaining on the clock. Earlier this week the Big Green lost another heartbreaker, this time against No. 6 Albany when, with just 6.5 seconds to go, the Great Danes destroyed Dartmouth's hopes of an upset and clinched a 15-14 win.

Princeton (8-3, 3-1) will also be looking to bounce back with a win this weekend after a 10-6 loss to No. 1 Cornell last weekend snapped the Tigers' seven-game winning streak. Princeton got off to an uncharacteristically slow start on defense during that game, allowing four goals in the first quarter, and will be in search of a stronger showing against the Big Green.

"[The slow start] is something we're very conscious of because we have to be," head coach Bill Tierney said. "In most of the other games, we've done a decent job of getting off to a quick start, especially on defense. Its something we talk about and [are getting] ready for. I think we're doing a great job of scouting and preparing, we just hope that we can stop [Dartmouth] if they happen to get the ball early."

Though Princeton has the first-ranked scoring defense in Division I, allowing only 5.87 goals per game, the Tigers will face a challenge in the form of Dartmouth's well-balanced offense. The Big Green attack relies heavily on underclassmen Brian Koch and Ari Sussman who have both tallied 26 goals this season. Both players had impressive performances against Albany as Koch recorded five goals and two assists while Sussman added four goals and an assist.

Stopping Koch and Sussman could be an even more daunting task because senior defenseman Zach Jungers' status for the game is up in the air. After hurting his knee in practice last week, Jungers aggravated the injury during the Cornell game and was sidelined. Jungers has been fantastic throughout his collegiate career, turning into a strong leader on defense, after serving as the team's first long-stick midfielder for his first two seasons.

"[We knew Jungers was] a guy that could win, but we had no idea what a great student of the game he was going to be," Tierney said. "We take great pride in our defense and he has just been fabulous for us."

Jungers' talent has caught not only the attention of his coaches but also that of lacrosse gurus nationwide. In addition to being in the running for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the lacrosse version of the Heisman Trophy that honors the sport's best collegiate player, Jungers is one of the 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior Class Award. The honor recognizes outstanding performance in athletics, academics and service.

While Princeton's defense looks to make an early statement, the offense will need to focus on taking smart and accurate shots. The Tigers have consistently outshot their opponents this season, but at times goals have been few and far between.

"Like we've been doing all year, we're trying to get our offense unleashed a little bit, but we haven't quite figured that out yet," Tierney said. "The kids continue to work hard and they're as frustrated as we are. We've just got to figure out how to keep plugging at it."

Junior midfielder Alex Berg's face-off prowess should help the attack against Dartmouth. While Berg has maintained a 52 percent win rate for face-offs this season, the Big Green's Kyle Lagratta has won just over 41 percent of face-offs for his team.

To share the Ivy League championship with undefeated Cornell, Princeton will need to win tomorrow, take down Brown next weekend and hope the Bears can topple the Big Red this weekend.

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But simply by focusing on the Big Green and clinching a win this weekend, the Tigers will be well on their way to earning a high seed for the NCAA Tournament in May.