Men's lacrosse wins first game handily against Manhattan College

Princeton men’s lacrosse (1-0) could hardly have hoped for a better start to their 2015 season. Manhattan College’s Jaspers (0-2) visited 1952 Stadium Saturday afternoon and left with a 14-4 drubbing not even as closely contested as the scoreline would indicate.

College lacrosse’s first face-off took place a week earlier than in previous years. Mother Nature responded to the ambitious scheduling change with below freezing temperatures and snowfall which had covered the field by game’s end.

Princeton’s effort Saturday proved thoroughly domineering despite the rough conditions. Ground balls found themselves in Princeton sticks 32 times as opposed to 18 for Manhattan. The Tigers outshot their challengers 47-31 with Princeton goalies stopping 14 of 18 shots on target. Senior netminder Eric Sanschagrin lived up to his name with a nine-save winning effort.

Sophomore goalie Matt O’Connor relieved the senior at the onset of the fourth quarter and was replaced in turn by freshman Tyler Blaisdell after just under eight minutes. The first-year keeper managed two saves early in his shift. Conditions had made the ball almost invisible by the time the Jaspers beat Blaisdell for their third and fourth goals.

Sophomore midfielder Bear Altemus, a convert from attack, tallied his first career shot and goal at the 8:16 mark in the first quarter. He was one of several relatively new faces to see substantial playing time. Altemus’ classmates midfielder Gavin McBride and attackman Adam Hardej, a convert from midfield, likewise recorded their first career goals.

Altemus’ marker sparked a five-goal run for Princeton which spanned the entirety of the first quarter. Junior midfielder Jake Froccaro, one-time scorer of ten goals in a single game, proved his versatility by tossing three assists in that dominant first period.

Froccaro took eight of 22 faceoffs, winning three. The true star at the ‘X’ was freshman midfielder Sam Bonafede, who won nine of 11 ground battles. The Chaminade graduate joins the Tigers following a stellar senior season in which earned Under Armor All-American honors.

Junior attackman Ryan Ambler, a reputed distributor, found the back of the net a game-high four times Saturday. His linemate, senior Mike MacDonald, showed no regression following a pair of off-season surgeries. The Canadian lefty scored twice while adding three assists.

From last season’s end, fans and pundits questioned how the Tigers would cope with the graduation of two-time Tewaaraton Trophy Finalist Tom Schreiber greats. Despite the loss of a once-in-a-generation talent, it’s not evident that Orange and Black production will suffer all that severely. Seven different players scored for Princeton in an offense which looks more dynamic than in years past.

No Jasper managed more than a single goal while senior standout midfielder Andrew Hurst picked up a pair of assists.

Next week will provide Princeton with a far more legitimate test. Hofstra will come challenge the Tigers on Sherrerd Field to renew a tight series in which Princeton holds a 15-13 lead. ESPNU will broadcast the contest, which is schedule to start Friday at 3 p.m.