The difference between good and great teams is determined by consistency, but even the greats sometimes suffer from a lack of focus following a big win. The No. 5 men's lacrosse team (7-2 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) avoided the "letdown game syndrome" Tuesday night by following its emotional win over Syracuse with a victory over Ivy League bottom-dweller Penn.
"We play a lot of teams that [No. 1] Cornell plays, and Cornell had beaten [Syracuse] very well," head coach Bill Tierney said. "After the big Syracuse game, we [played] a team that Cornell again beat very badly, so we needed to do well."
It took some time for the Tigers to remember that mission. Penn (5-5, 2-3) led 2-0 just four minutes, 14 seconds into game and controlled possession for the game's first 20 minutes. It was the first time in six games that Princeton gave up a first-quarter goal.
"We were under siege a little bit [in the first 20 minutes]," Tierney said. "They had chances. The combo of [junior goalie] Alex [Hewit] making some big saves and them missing the goal a few times, and the D stiffening up kept us in."
Sophomore attack Tommy Davis struck first for the Tigers with 8:41 remaining in the first half off a feed from senior attack Tripp Shriner. Davis continued the onslaught two minutes later with an unassisted run from behind the net to level the score at two.
Senior attack Whitney Hayes bounced in a close shot off a feed from junior attack Alex Haynie with 3:11 remaining in the half, and Haynie doubled Princeton's lead with another close-range strike just 12 seconds before the break.
The Tigers kept up the scoring party after the break. Five minutes in, senior midfielder Scott Sowanick ran down the right side and fired in a high strike, and sophomore midfielder Josh Lesko followed half a minute later with an easy finish after a nifty move by sophomore midfielder Rich Sgalardi.
Senior attack Peter Trombino and Sowanick each struck again over the next three minutes, and what had been a 2-0 Penn lead was now an 8-2 Princeton thrashing. Penn scored with 3:06 left in the third quarter to end a 37:41 scoring drought, but the Tigers had the last word, as Trombino burned his defender before assisting Davis' third goal of the night.
While the Tiger offense showed up big for the second game in a row, it was the stalwart defense that kept the team in early and shut out the Quakers for the greater part of the game. In goal, Hewit finished the night with five saves.
"We're a defensive team; we know that," Tierney said. "Our goal is to get double figures, and we can win any game."
Tierney was also quick to heap praise on senior defender Dan Cocoziello, the leader of the Tiger defense.
"I thought tonight that Danny Cocoziello played one of his best games ever," the coach said. "He covered their best guy all night."
Though Princeton has had difficulties with its offense this season, the Tigers' 21 minute scoring drought was less worrisome to the coach than the team's offensive struggles against Yale.
"They came in strongly, and we tried to do something a little different," Tierney said. "They beat us on the short-stick, then they get a man-up goal. We weren't winning faceoffs early, and they were controlling the ball early. Give them credit. They just had the ball for a long time."
Once Davis struck for the first time, however, it was a consistent flood of Princeton attacks.
"Sowanick came to play again," Tierney said. "Tommy Davis came to play again. Our offense just played very well."
The six-time championship-winning coach was especially pleased with the composure his team showed despite being down early.
"After their first two goals, when you hold teams, it gives the offense confidence," Tierney said. "It's not like we scored in flurries, but it was a solid offensive effort throughout. They stayed composed the whole time."
Princeton faces Harvard this Saturday, a team which Cornell handled easily. Cornell, who sits at 3-0 atop the Ancient Eight and holds the top spot in the national poll, defeated Syracuse 16-15 at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night, severely damaging the Orange's tournament hopes.
While comparing records and results to the Big Red has people looking forward to a week from this Saturday, the Tigers cannot afford to look past its next opponent.
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