Men's Lacrosse: Unbeatens to battle for Ivy’s top spot

“It’s a big game,” junior midfielder Paul Barnes said. “Obviously Ivy League games are always important for us to try and win a league title. Cornell’s a really good team with big offensive guys, but we just have to focus on ourselves and play our own game.”

At the top of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches Poll, Princeton is in a position it hasn’t occupied since 2001. Maintaining that top ranking, however, will require three more weekends of top-notch play.

“It’s pretty incredible being ranked No. 1, and it’s really a great honor. But as of right now, that doesn’t really matter all that much,” freshman goalie Tyler Fiorito said. “What we’re working toward … is a championship, so in that sense, it doesn’t really matter what our ranking is at this point. And especially going into Cornell, we still have to deal with the fact that they’re a great team.”

Statistically, Cornell has performed at a much higher level in conference play this season. The Big Red has posted an average margin of victory of nearly eight goals in its four conference wins. Princeton, however, has had a tough time pulling away from opponents, as evidenced by the Tigers’ most recent two games, which were nail-biters that came down to the last second.

Though head coach Bill Tierney’s squad managed to emerge unscathed from those contests with 10-9 victories in both, its performances against Ivy League teams have been less than phenomenal. The team that derailed powerhouses Johns Hopkins and Syracuse seems to have been replaced by a far less motivated and electrifying squad once league play began.

If another win is to be etched into Princeton’s record books this Saturday, however, the better of those two Princeton squads will need to make an appearance. Led by a dynamic duo of attacks Rob Pannell and Ryan Hurley, the Big Red offense averages 13.9 goals per game and holds the distinction of being the top-ranked offense in Division I. Pannell is second in the NCAA in assists with 30, while Hurley is tied for second atop the goals list with 34. Don’t be surprised if you hear the “Pannell-to-Hurley combo” announced over the loudspeaker a few times this weekend.

“Those two guys have really done a great job this year, but I think our defensive line with [junior] Jeremy Hirsch, [senior] Chris Peyser, [freshman] Chad Wiedmaier and Fiorito will be able to control them,” Barnes said. “We just have to play together and play as a team, and I think we’ll be fine.”

Fiorito also cited the importance of defense.

“We have some great defenders, and we’ve been able to perform well on the defensive end as a team,” he said. “We’ve played hard individually, and we just have to keep on doing that and support each other and play aggressively as a team.”

As good as Cornell’s offensive threats may be, Princeton has a few daggers up its sleeves to match its opponent’s goal production. Senior midfielder and three-time All-American Mark Kovler has continued his senior campaign exactly where he left off a year ago, providing solid anchor to Tierney’s newly crafted high-flying offense. Kovler is second on the team in goals with 22 behind sophomore attack Jack McBride.

Senior attack Tommy Davis, senior midfielder Rich Sgalardi and junior attack Scott Mackenzie have contributed double-digit goals and assists. Unlike the Cornell offense, Princeton’s front six offers an evenly balanced attack from all angles, with points equally likely to come from all players. The latest Tiger to find his offensive rhythm is sophomore attack Chris McBride, whose three goals and one assist against Harvard proved crucial in keeping Princeton’s run alive.

As potent as the Big Red offense may be, it will be tested when it comes face-to-face with one of the nation’s premier goalies and defensive lines. Led by its own duo of freshman talents, the Tiger defense has played against and shut down some of the nation’s top offensive threats, including Johns Hopkins attack Steven Boyle and Syracuse attacks Kenny Nims and Stephen Keogh.

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More than a fraction of that success can be attributed to the stick of Wiedmaier. The freshman phenom was recognized as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week following his lockdown performance against Boyle.

Wiedmaier’s strip of Harvard’s Dean Gibbons with five seconds left in regulation also ensured the win for the Tigers last weekend.

The other member of the fab frosh duo on defense is Fiorito. With a goals-against average under eight and a save percentage of .590, Fiorito has been the key factor in the team’s premier wins this season.

Though fans may have already comapred the combo of Fiorito and Wiedmaier to the All-American pair of Alex Hewit ’08 and Dan Cocoziello ’08, the freshmen still have a long way to go before they can live up to such high acclaim.

A win over Cornell, though, would be a good place to start.

“It’s definitely a cool thing [to be ranked No. 1], but the point is to finish the season at No. 1,” Barnes said. “We’ve had a good year so far, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”