Men's Lacrosse: Sgalardi makes the leap

Coming into the 2009 campaign, Sgalardi had seven goals and 11 assists in his first three years as a Tiger. He broke into the starting lineup as a junior last season.

“We always knew Rich was talented, and he always did plenty to deserve playing time as a midfielder who could dodge and pass the ball,” head coach Bill Tierney said. “Because he was a great basketball player, there were times we thought … if he’s not going to be a great goal scorer, we’ll make him a defensive midfielder because he plays very good defense as well, but he always did enough to start and be very effective. Toward the middle of last year, he really showed signs of being a good player.”

This year, he has been more than good. Sgalardi has blown away his previous career totals only 10 games into the season. Behind 14 goals and 17 assists, Sgalardi is tied with sophomore attack Jack McBride for the team lead in points.

“I’ve never been a big points guy, and I felt that if my team needed me to do that … it was time to step up, and if we needed more production I was going to have to take that role,” Sgalardi said. “I just started getting some confidence going, and I was able to ride that wave.”

Eighteen of his 31 points have come in his last four games alone. His hot streak is made all the more impressive by the fact that his thesis was due last Friday, one day before he throttled Syracuse with two goals and two assists on his way to Player of the Game honors.

“I don’t think I could’ve ever expected to be playing that well during such a stressful time,” Sgalardi said.

Sgalardi’s rise to prominence is due to a number of factors, including physical fitness, improved shooting technique and a first midfield line that suits his talents perfectly.

“I tried to work really hard in the summer, rehab with my ankle and just to get in better shape overall,” Sgalardi explained.

“He’s changed his body, and he’s become a strong, in-shape athlete, and that’s great,” Tierney said.

His shooting has improved dramatically this season as well.

“He and [associate head] coach [David] Metzbower worked and worked and worked on his shooting game because he’s always a good feeder and always a great dodger, so to enhance those two things by becoming a very good shooter really has made him a special player,” Tierney added.

Improved shooting has not only allowed Sgalardi to score more goals, it has also helped improve other aspects of his game. Defenders are now forced to play Sgalardi more honest, and he draws slides much more frequently than he did in the past. This makes feeding his linemates — junior Scott MacKenzie and senior Mark Kovler — easier and more effective.

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“He’s the most balanced person on the field, which makes teams play him honest,” Kovler said. “Because he’s such a great dodger, my defenseman is often forced to take a step in his direction, which is when we do our best work together. His ability to dodge hard, draw a slide and move the ball quickly has allowed me to get wide open shots. He’s the most selfless player I’ve ever played with.”

Playing with MacKenzie and Kovler has helped open things up for Sgalardi. Before the season started, the coaching staff decided to front-load the first midfield line and play the group much more than the second line. The strategy has paid off, as all three players are having the best years of their careers.

“Right from day one, they took it and ran with it together,” Tierney said. “They put in their own little wrinkles, and they really understand each other out there. They’re all talented individuals, but sometimes that’s not enough. These guys have, through their diligence and their effort, made it very special. They are not only very good individuals but very good as a unit as well.”

It all started late last season when Sgalardi injured his ankle.

“Last year definitely ended on a pretty down note with us not making the playoffs, and being injured kind of added to that empty feeling towards the end of the season,” Sgalardi said. “Just not being able to really get out there and help the team was tough.”

Kovler had also suffered an ankle injury the week before Sgalardi was injured. Both were forced to watch the Tigers’ season melt away with the consecutive losses to Dartmouth and Brown that ended the season. Coming into this season, Kovler and Sgalardi did everything they could to put themselves in the position to succeed this year.

“[Kovler] got hurt the week before I did last year, so I think both of us shared very similar feelings,” Sgalardi said. “As seniors and best friends, we tried to work really hard and put everything we had into it.”

During the team’s trip to Spain and Ireland last June, both Sgalardi and Kovler were still nursing their ankles to health. Despite not being able to play together, they continued to bond, and the fruit of their friendship has been evident this season. Sgalardi has assisted Kovler on at least one goal in every game this season except Princeton’s loss against Hofstra, the team’s only defeat this season.

“Rich and I work together on and off the field,” Kovler said. “Although our game on the field is sort of different, our game off the field is pretty similar. For four years we have been great friends, and this helps us out on the field because we are so comfortable with each other. Whether that means critiquing each other’s games or celebrating goals, our friendship off the field enhances our ability to work together on the field, and we try to impart some senior leadership to younger linemate Scott Mackenzie.”

Tierney has pointed out that on many of his past championship teams, seniors who had previously been in complementary roles stepped out of the shadows and had big seasons.

“If you go back in our history — and not that it hasn’t happened other years — but certainly it has in the years we won championships. In 1992 we had a guy named Al Meistrell, Craig Katz in 1997 and some other guys in [other years] who, as seniors, we knew they were good players all along, but as seniors they really got it going and made it very special in their senior year.”

Sgalardi, too, has broken out in a way that few expected. If he keeps up his torrid pace, he could be on track for All-America honors. But most importantly for the Tigers, he will definitely be on track to help Princeton go deep in the NCAA tournament, something they have not done in recent years.

“I think we’re just trying to play to our potential, and I think we know that if we can do that and get better every time we’re out there in practice, we’re definitely capable of some great things,” Sgalardi said.