Men's Lacrosse: Princeton impresses in Bates’ first game

The men’s lacrosse team’s highly anticipated game against Hofstra was far more than just a season opener. It was the first test of the Chris Bates era — one that the new head coach passed with flying colors. The Tigers won 17-14.

Princeton (1-0 overall), currently ranked No. 8 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse poll, exploded for three goals to open the game after junior attackman Chris McBride, freshman midfielder Mike Chanenchuck and junior attackman Jack McBride all found the back of the net within minutes of each other. The Tigers’ offensive spurt seemed to catch the Pride off guard, forcing Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney — nephew of former Princeton head coach Bill Tierney — to call a timeout to recalibrate.

Though the Pride was able to hold Princeton off for the rest of the quarter, the Tigers’ defense was absolutely stifling, allowing Hofstra only one goal.

After a few quiet minutes to begin the second quarter, the Pride opened up an offensive firestorm that saw the game tied up after sophomore defenseman John Cunningham accidentally turned the ball over to the opposing team in front of the Tigers’ goal. Sophomore goalie Tyler Fiorito, who ended the game with 11 saves, never had a chance, as Hofstra scored its fourth goal in the span of a little more than two minutes.

It was clear from watching the Tigers adjust and respond to Hofstra’s second-quarter play that they were not yet fully accustomed to Bates’ new tactics.

“It’s a big change in mentality,” senior attackman Rob Engelke said of Princeton’s new offensive style. “As long as we win, I don’t care what happens. This is just a little bit more up-tempo and has a little bit more freedom. [There’s also a] lot more communication.”

Engelke had one goal and four assists in the game for a career-high five points.

The second half opened with the Tigers up 9-7. Both teams had begun to settle down and develop some rhythm, and three quick goals by the Pride allowed Hofstra to pull into the lead for the first time.

With five minutes, and 16 seconds left in the quarter, freshman midfielder Jeff Froccaro put Princeton back in the driver’s seat when he broke a double-team to get the first goal of his collegiate career and the Tigers’ 11th of the game.

Froccaro, who injured his knee earlier in the year, said he was once again starting to feel comfortable on the field.

“Coming off my knee injury, I’m running a little slower than usual,” Froccaro said. “I’m getting better, and today I ran pretty well. I’m pretty happy.”

The game remained tight until about halfway through the final stanza. At 6:49, Engelke found Froccaro on a fast break, and the freshman whipped a shot past Hofstra goalie Rob Bellairs. The Pride, maintaining its high level of intensity, responded almost immediately with a goal of its own to cut Princeton’s lead to 15-14.

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The Tigers finally began to pull away at 2:09 when Engelke once again found Froccaro, who topped off his already-stellar collegiate opener with a third goal. With 37 seconds left, Cunningham more than made up for his earlier mistake by initiating a fast break that ended with an Engelke goal and Princeton’s first victory of the season.

The contest, with 31 total goals scored, was one of the higher-scoring games in recent history. In fact, the Princeton men’s lacrosse program has not seen that many goals scored in a single game since at least before the 2002 season. Hofstra, one of only two teams to beat the Tigers last year, found itself with a slightly easier task than last year with Princeton star sophomore defenseman Chad Wiedmaier out with a knee injury. Wiedmaier was a preseason first-team All American.

This anomaly can also be attributed to the new styles of play that Bates has instituted. The team, aware that it still needs to refine its strategies, is confident that it can do so and continue to win.

“We’re still tweaking the offense,” Chris McBride explained. “There’s still so much going on. We’re still playing around with it. As the season goes on, you’ll see us change certain things.”

Of course, the main factor that matters is whether one can put a win in the books, and Bates was happy to begin his tenure by doing just that.

“To get the first [win] here is exciting,” Bates said. “It’s the way you want to start. You want to build some momentum, and it validates these guys’ hard work.”