Men's Lacrosse: Tigers drop opener at No. 5-ranked Hofstra

After an exciting first quarter that featured nine total scores, Hofstra (3-0) began to take control of the game. Down 5-4, Hofstra struck five goals in the second frame while the Tigers only managed one. Princeton managed only two possessions in the quarter.

The Pride took a 9-6 lead into halftime, and Princeton was unable to overcome it as the teams traded goals for much of the second half.

“We thought we could’ve created some separation early in the game,” head coach Chris Bates said. “We got up early, and they had trouble defending us. But then we got to a point where we kept compounding our errors. We certainly never felt like the game got away from us, and we were poised throughout. But we struggled with possession and that was the difference in the game.”

Princeton roared out of the gate, with highly-touted freshman midfielder Tom Schreiber scoring his first collegiate goal on his first shot just 53 seconds into the game. Hofstra responded with a goal just over a minute later before the Tigers strung together three straight scores. With seven minutes, 33 seconds left in the period, the Tigers had a 4-1 lead.

“When we had the ball, we were pleased for the most part with how things looked,” Bates said.

The Pride, unfazed, scored three of the game’s next four goals to close the gap to 5-4 at the end of the quarter. The Tigers maintained a lead despite losing eight of nine faceoffs and succeeding on only three of five clearing opportunities in the period.

In the second period, Hofstra put its foot on the gas pedal. Though the Tigers improved significantly on the faceoff — winning three of six — and succeeded in three of four clearing chances, Princeton was hurt by penalties. Two of Hofstra’s five goals in the period came in man-up situations, bringing its total to four for the first half.

In the third quarter, Princeton scored twice early to close the gap to 9-8. The Pride responded with a goal at 5:21 to widen its lead. Neither team scored for nearly 15 minutes before attackman Jamie Lincoln made it 11-8 with a goal midway through the fourth quarter. Sophomore midfielder Jeff Froccaro found the net for Princeton with 1:25 remaining, but it was too little, too late for the visitors.

Hofstra played a very solid game, making few mistakes and capitalizing every time the Tigers made an error. The Pride was successful on all four of its man-up opportunities and all 13 of its clears.

Princeton converted only two of four extra-man chances and completed 13 of 18 clears.

The Tigers were obliterated on faceoffs, winning only six of 22. This error contributed greatly to Hofstra’s 31 to 16 advantage in ground balls and the Pride’s domination of possession throughout the game.

“We’re disappointed,” Bates said. “The ground ball totals correlated with our lack of success at the faceoff. While clearing, we dropped a couple of passes. When the lights go on, some players make mistakes. It being the first game, some of that contributes to our less than stellar execution.”

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For now, Bates does not anticipate any major changes in strategy on draws.

“The wing play has to get better,” Bates said. “I think we faced off against a kid who was pretty good, and [we] didn’t have a good answer. We also had some procedure calls hurt us. But I think we’ll be fine.”

Princeton was led offensively by hulking sophomore attackman Forest Sonnenfeldt, who finished with three goals and four ground balls in his first collegiate start. Fellow sophomore attackman Luke Armour notched two assists in his first start while senior attackman and co-captain Jack McBride added a goal.

Froccaro and Schreiber each finished with two goals while junior midfielder Mark Feild contributed an assist and a goal off the bench.

Defensively, Princeton was led by goalie Tyler Fiorito. Despite surrendering double-digit goals, Fiorito amassed 15 saves. The fact that four of Fiorito’s 11 goals allowed were in man-down situations for the Tigers is further indicative of his success on the day.

Hofstra was led by its line of stellar attackmen. Lincoln totaled four goals while Stephen Bentz contributed a hat trick of his own. Jay Card added a goal and two assists.

Perhaps most worrisome to Tigers fans are injuries to a number of key players. Senior attackman and co-captain Chris McBride did not play in the game due to a concussion sustained in practice. Jack McBride suffered a knee injury late in the game and did not return. Junior attackman Alex Capretta was also unable to play due to injury.

Jack McBride’s status remains uncertain, as the coaching staff hopes to ease both him and Capretta back in this week.

Challenges that the lacrosse team will face do not ease in the coming weeks. Princeton heads to Baltimore this weekend to face No. 8 Johns Hopkins before hosting No. 13 North Carolina in its home opener the following Friday. The start to the schedule is a grueling one, especially in comparison to that of other top teams, who often schedule softer opponents early on.

“We feel like we can beat anybody, and you want to test yourself early,” Bates said. “I think we’re disappointed [in the loss] but it’s something we grow from and that’s how you get better ultimately. This forces us to sharpen the pencil and be focused on improving. For our guys to prepare for the Ivy League, it’s a great way to start the season.”