Championship on the line

After the men’s lacrosse team’s 13-6 loss to Syracuse on April 5, many of the Princeton faithful began to accept that for only the second time in 19 years, the Tigers would not be headed to the NCAA tournament.

But then the Ivy schedule got into full swing, and with last weekend’s decisive 11-7 victory over Cornell (9-3 overall, 4-1 Ivy League), Princeton (7-4, 4-0) put itself in contention for the Ivy League championship and the accompanying automatic NCAA bid to the tournament. The race for the championship will culminate next weekend against the Bears (10-2, 4-0), but first the Tigers must square off with Dartmouth (5-7, 1-3) tomorrow. These next two games are critical for Princeton, as a sweep would secure an outright Ivy Championship, the Tigers’ first in four years.

“For years, we were the lone Ivy League champion, and that’s what we want to go back to,” head coach Bill Tierney said. “The truth of the matter is you really want to win that Ivy League championship because you don’t want the tournament committee to decide your fate.”

Four scenarios could play out this weekend. If the Big Red defeats the Bears and Princeton triumphs over the Big Green, the Tigers will have earned at least a share of the title. If Princeton falls to Dartmouth and Brown tops Cornell, the Tigers will only be able to share the championship with the Bears at best, but if the Big Red defeats Brown, the title could potentially end in a three-way tie. Victories by both unbeatens this weekend would set up the most exciting matchup, as the winner of the Princeton-Brown matchup next weekend would take an undisputed title and the Ivy bid to NCAAs.

So the Tigers have a lot riding on the showdown with Dartmouth this weekend. And it won’t be a cakewalk, either. Though the Big Green doesn’t boast an impressive record, it has a high-scoring offense, averaging 10.6 goals per game.

A trio of Dartmouth attacks leads the charge, each tallying more than 20 goals this season. Ari Sussman, last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, leads the Big Green with 24. Last year the left-handed Sussman scored two in the Tigers’ 13-6 victory, and he looks to be a threat once again. He is joined by linemates Brian Koch and Josh Gillam, who have scored 21 goals this season.

Containing this threat will fall on the veteran Tiger defense, led by senior All-Americans goalie Alex Hewit and defenseman Dan Cocoziello. The defense will need to play an error-free game, without the slow shifts that plagued Princeton earlier in the season, especially since junior midfielders Mark Kovler and Rich Sgalardi will not be playing due to broken and twisted ankles, respectively.

With these injuries, the Tigers will be counting on less experienced midfielders, sophomore Ryan Morrel and freshman Connor Reilly, to help fill in the gaps.

“We’ve been telling them, ‘Keep it simple, don’t try to do too much. You just go out there and do your jobs,’ ” Tierney said.

Another youth in the midfield will be freshman Chris McBride, who had an assist last weekend against Cornell and has scored two goals this season. Having made the transition from attack to midfielder, he has started to come into his own. His cousin, freshman attack Jack McBride, has also started to shine this season, scoring 14 goals in the last five games.

“The freshman class has just been exactly what we thought they’d be,” Tierney said. “Three years from now when we look at this class, you’ll see they’ve accomplished a great deal.”

With a win against Dartmouth tomorrow, the freshmen may be able to start racking up those accomplishments up now.