No stars? No problem

While the team did lose some key players to graduation, the Tigers kept their fair share of firepower and have reloaded with a solid batch of recruits.

On defense, the Tigers lost Zach Jungers ’07, a first-team All-American whose long stick spearheaded the number one defense in the country. Jungers was one of three graduating Tigers selected in the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Draft. At attack, Princeton lost Peter Trombino ’07, the first Tiger to record 20 goals and 10 assists in all four of his seasons and an All-America honorable mention. Key losses in the midfield included third-team All-American Scott Sowanick ’07 and John Bennett ’07. Sowanick and Trombino were also selected in the MLL draft.

But Princeton has not lost all of its weapons. The Tigers return multiple All-Americans and boast a deep recruiting class with three super frosh ready to play immediately.

Senior defenseman Dan Cocoziello and senior goalie Alex Hewit will look to lead the Princeton defense this year, as both were named second-team All-Americans last season.

Returning third-team All-American junior Mark Kovler will head the midfield, filling the first line along with junior midfielder Rich Sgalardi and senior attack Bob Schneider. Sophomore Chris Chandler and junior Greg Seamen will also play big roles as midfielders.

Filling the roles of the departed All-Americans will be a huge task, but the Tigers have players who should be ready to step up.

Jungers’ shoes will be filled by sophomore defenseman Jeremy Hirsch, who still has room for improvement but has already shown promise. Replacing Trombino, the consistent, aggressive attack, will be a bit more difficult.

“Right now, we’re kind of playing attack by committee,” head coach Bill Tierney said. “[Junior] Tommy Davis, [sophomore] Scott Mackenzie, and [freshmen] Jack and Chris McBride are all going to see time. We’re still searching for the right combination.”

As for the freshmen, Tierney sees the recruits having a huge impact by midseason.

“The McBrides and [midfielder] Connor Reilly will see a lot of playing time,” Tierney said.

Additionally, look for freshmen defensemen Long Ellis and Derek Styer to contribute on defense and midfielder Zach Drexler to be a factor on face-offs.

In terms of general strategizing for the season, the Tigers will look to learn from last year’s three one-goal losses.

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“The goals we lost on in those games were pretty good goals,” Tierney said. “But those losses highlight the little things. If we hadn’t made minor mistakes that cost us goals earlier in the game, we wouldn’t have even been in overtime.”

If nothing else, such games provide great motivation to play ever harder the next time out, and this year’s team has already demonstrated striking determination and enthusiasm.

“This team has a lot of good kids, with little ego,” Tierney said. “They play for each other and always put out a lot of effort. The seniors have been great leaders. The overall character and chemistry of the team has been as good as I’ve ever been around.”

The Tigers’ weakest point is their ability to score goals. Offense has been a weak spot for Princeton in recent years, and the loss of Trombino has only made the situation more difficult.

“Right now, we don’t really have a stud,” Tierney said. “We don’t have one of those big-name guys who can go out there and score a goal with flair. Tommy Davis gets the job done in a workman-like fashion, and Mark Kovler might be an emerging stud, and we think [sophomore attack] Scott Mackenzie and the McBride cousins could be studs. But right now, we don’t have a big-name guy like Trombino.”

The Tigers will be tested early in their schedule. Tomorrow, Princeton faces a confident No. 1 Johns Hopkins team fresh off a national title and riding a 10-game winning streak. Next weekend, No. 3 Virginia will visit Class of 1952 stadium for what is sure to be an enticing rematch, with Princeton seeking to avenge last year’s 7-6 Cavalier victory.

So will this year’s defense pick up where last year’s left off — a nation-leading 6.17 goals-against average? Will this year’s midfield remain as steady as last year’s? And most interestingly, will this year’s attack sustain the loss of Trombino and Sowanick without a loss of production? All of these questions and more will be answered this season, as Princeton heads into tomorrow’s showdown against the Blue Jays with a 1-0 record and a whole lot to prove.