Kovler, Trombino lead breakout on offense

After last weekend's 5-3 victory over Yale, head coach Bill Tierney wanted one thing from his offense: more goals. On Saturday, senior attack Peter Trombino and sophomore midfielder Mark Kovler took those words to heart.

In front of a packed crowd at Princeton Stadium, the two preseason All-American selections led the Tigers to a 12-8 victory over Syracuse, with Trombino lighting up the field for a career-high five goals and Kovler notching a personal-best four goals of his own.

Tierney noted that the entire Tiger squad showed character in the electrifying offensive performance.

"[This season] we've been up and down, and we haven't known who we are," Tierney said. "We worked hard this week. The guys fought through and came out with some confidence."

The re-energized Princeton offense showed that a week can make all the difference in the world. Last Saturday against the Bulldogs, the Tigers only mustered five goals on 29 shots. Against Syracuse, Princeton generated 36 shots on goal, but it found the back of the net more often, scoring on a third of its attempts.

During the game, mental lapses from the Syracuse defense helped play into the hands of the Tiger offense. With 11 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Kovler jumpstarted the Princeton scoring onslaught when he broke free and buried a shot in the back of the net. On this play, the Orange defense made a costly mistake by allowing Kovler, the best lefty shooter on the Tiger roster, to shoot from his natural side.

In the post-game press conference, Kovler expressed shock that the Syracuse defense gave him this golden opportunity.

"I'm surprised any team would let me go to my left," Kovler said.

Once Kovler and Trombino got started, they proved to be unstoppable. Trombino found a groove, scoring several of his goals from the same spot on the field — 10 yards in front of the goal, to the right side of Syracuse goalie Peter Coluccini. At one point in the third quarter, he scored two goals in a span of 45 seconds.

While the Princeton offense was firing on all cylinders, the defense held its ground for most of the game. Junior goalie Alex Hewit was solid in net, stopping 33 of the 41 shots that came his way, including a couple of shots from pointblank range.

Trombino said that the entire team has tremendous confidence in Hewit's ability to clear the ball from the defensive zone.

"Knowing he's in goal is a big relief for us," Trombino said. "If he makes a save, we're going to get it out. He's so confident in his clears. He makes all his saves cleanly."

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In the second half, the Syracuse offense climbed back into the game, scoring three unanswered goals to start the fourth quarter. The Orange's characteristically quick transition game made the Tigers pay. On one occasion, after a skirmish at midfield, Syracuse attack Dan Hardy broke free and beat Hewit in front of the net to put the Orange within two.

Junior defender Dan Cocoziello, who helped anchor Princeton's defensive stand, noted that the Tigers used the Syracuse comeback as motivation to keep going.

"They got a few late ones, but it gave us confidence to keep playing hard," Cocoziello said.

Tierney also said that the Orange comeback was a good test for his team.

"The inevitable comeback began, but we got a couple of goals to say we were not going to quit," Tierney said.

Inaccurate, erratic shooting and careless passing from Syracuse helped the Tigers put away the game for good. When the Orange turned the ball over, Princeton was able to capitalize. Effective ball movement in the box and long offensive possessions wore the Syracuse defense down, leading to a couple of key goals late in the fourth quarter. Though the production from Kovler and Trombino was the headline of the day, sophomores attack Tommy Davis and midfielder Josh Lesko also got involved in the offensive effort.

Though he only notched one assist, senior midfielder Scott Sowanick was the unsung hero of the game. Tierney credits the All-American with orchestrating the Tigers' entire offensive charge, which allowed Trombino and Kovler to have so much success.

"Sowanick gets things kicking," Tierney said. "He has taken on a new role this year. He makes the engine run. If he does that, Trombino and Kovler are going to get their shots."

The win was a huge morale boost for Princeton, who had not beaten Syracuse in the regular season at home since 1947.

More importantly, the victory gave the Tigers a newfound confidence in their ability to score. Princeton brought to the table a good combination of offensive prowess and physical, stingy defense. And it could be an indication that things are clicking at just the right time.