Princeton will take on Navy, Maryland

This weekend, the Tigers will take a trip down to Annapolis, Md., in hopes seeing more than just some nice foliage fall from the trees — they'd love to see some of their shots fall into the cage as well.

The men's lacrosse team will play its first fall ball games of the year against Navy and Maryland this Sunday, Oct. 14.

With the loss of key players such as Peter Trombino '07 and Scott Sowanick '07 on offense and Zach Jungers '07 at close defense, the Tigers plan to revamp key parts of their game as they gear up for the coming season. Princeton has had a dozen practices so far this season, the maximum number allowed under NCAA rules.

"On the turf, we look good," senior midfielder Zach Goldberg said. "There are some holes to fill on the defensive end, but [we're working on it]."

Where there isn't a hole, to be sure, is at goalkeeper, where standout senior Alex Hewit has been among the best in Division I lacrosse between the pipes.

"Al's been great [this fall], as usual," senior attack Alex Haynie said.

Hewit was among the toughest goalies in collegiate lacrosse last season, with a .595 save percentage; his defense allowed an average of only 6.33 goals per game, the lowest total of any major Division I team.

Injuries across the field have plagued both offense and defense. Senior defenseman Dan Cocoziello is out for the fall with a foot injury but will return to play this spring. Freshman attack Jack McBride had surgery for a hernia over the summer and is out for the time being. Sophomore goalkeeper Nikhil Ashra has also been sidelined after recent surgery.

Hewit noted that, given this is the offseason, the injuries do have a silver lining.

"It gives the younger guys a chance to step in with some guys who play a lot," Hewit said. "We have a bunch of young guys who are doing well, but they haven't played against an opponent."

On offense, the Tigers will need younger players to step into the roles previously filled by Trombino and Sowanick.

Aside from the core of offensive players that include Haynie and fellow senior attack Bob Schneider, junior midfielders Mark Kovler and Josh Lesko and junior attack Tommy Davis, it seems possible that freshman cousins Chris and Jack McBride might find a role quickly within head coach Bill Tierney's offensive schemes. Additionally, sophomores like attackmen Rob Engelke and Ryan Morrell may be called upon to provide additional firepower.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"We have a lot of guys who look pretty good [on offense]," said Hewit, who sees his teammates' shots on a regular basis in practice.

The Tigers will have a chance to try out a few offensive looks against Navy, a team that lost to UVA in a scrimmage last weekend, and Maryland. Navy has lost several key players on their midfield line but has been working to refine its new schemes. Maryland lost several important players at close defense. Traditionally, both Navy and Maryland mix it up in the top 10, and they are certainly never opponents to be dismissed.

Princeton, meanwhile, ended its last season with a painful one-goal overtime loss to Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It was one of three one-goal losses during the season that resulted in Princeton having a difficult first-round game in the tournament.

Turning that corner, though, starts with the experience a team gains in fall ball, where it's less about winning or losing than what coaches and players learn about their own teams.

"We're not going down there 100 percent, but we're going down there excited to play," Hewit said. "It'll be a good experience and a learning experience for us as a team to try and come together and see who can step up in these positions."

Step up, indeed — because when the leaves return to the trees in the spring, those shots had better be falling still.