Top 'D' takes on top dog

A number one ranking is something subjective. A number one defense is grounded in fact. When No. 1 Cornell hosts the No. 5 men's lacrosse team and its top-ranked defense tomorrow, fans will learn which of the teams really has something to stand on.

The matchup between the Tigers (8-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) and Big Red (10-0, 4-0) will be crucial in determining both teams' fate in the Ivies and their status going into the selection process for the NCAA tournament. The battle of Ivy undefeateds also has a lot of history attached to it — 41 of the last 51 Ivy titles have gone to one of the two schools.

"It's a huge game for a lot of the obvious reasons, not just that it's Cornell," head coach Bill Tierney said. "Our schedule is a little weaker this year since some of the teams that [normally have] great years aren't this year. It makes [this game] that much more important for qualifying for the NCAA tournament as well. So we've got the Ivy League championship on the line and a spot in the tournament — a good spot in the tournament anyway."

The Big Red has put on a strong showing this season, defeating several opponents by double digits, including Ivy foes Harvard, Yale and Penn. Princeton defeated all three teams by margins of six or fewer goals.

Cornell's strength lies mainly in its powerful attack. The senior trio of David Mitchell, Eric Pittard and Henry Bartlett have 31, 25 and 20 goals on the season, respectively.

"We're really concentrating on those kids," Tierney said of the Big Red trio. "But all in all, Cornell just plays a higher speed than most of the teams we've played, and they play with a lot of emotion. They have no fear, they just play very hard, and they're scoring a lot more goals than anyone we've played so far."

The Big Red's defense is strong as well, anchored by goaltender Matt McMonagle, who was first team All-Ivy and second team All-America last season. Princeton also has a topnotch goaltender, however, in junior Alex Hewit, a second team All-Ivy and first team All-America selection.

The Tigers rank atop Division I in scoring defense, but a powerhouse offense like Cornell will be a true test of Princeton's ability to rise to a challenge.

"Alex Hewit is going to have to have a great day," Tierney said. "It's going to have to be a team effort. I wouldn't imagine one guy is going to get five goals or anything like that. It's going to have to be a team effort and just hope that Alex makes a lot of good saves."

Half of Princeton's team effort will come on the offensive side of the field, where the Tigers are led by senior attack Peter Trombino, who has 22 goals so far this season.

"Our defensive effort has been good all year, and I feel like our offense has been getting better as well," Tierney said. "They're playing real well right now ."

Tierney has faith that his team has the right mentality entering into the match. The Tigers are less than two weeks removed from a convincing 12-8 win over Syracuse — a team Cornell topped by just one goal back on April 10.

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Princeton has not lost a game since falling on March 10 to No. 4 Virginia. The Tigers have had a solid week of practice in preparation for the most important match of its season.

"We have good chemistry," Tierney said. "The guys really are playing for one another right now. We just have to keep that going. With this team I've found the more confident they are and the better they feel about themselves, usually the better they play."