ZACH ATTACK: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Zach Currier looks for an opening in recent action. Last Sunday, sophomore midfielder Currier had a goal, eight ground balls, and won 11 of 24 face-offs in a losing cause as No. 16 Princeton fell 11-10 to No. 9 Yale in the Ivy League championship game in Providence, R.I. with an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney on the line. The defeat left the Tigers with a final record of 9-6 as they did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs when the 2015 bracket was revealed on Sunday evening. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

For Chris Bates, the prayer that talks about one having the serenity to accept things that can’t be changed and having the courage to change things that he can has been a theme this season as he has guided the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team.

That message was relevant on many levels last weekend as Princeton produced a big 11-7 win over Cornell in the Ivy tournament semis on Friday only to get edged 11-10 by Yale in the title game with an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney on the line. Hours after the loss to Yale, Princeton found itself on the outside looking in as it didn’t receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs.

In the win over Cornell, Princeton showed a capacity for change as it bounced back from a 15-10 loss to the Big Red six days earlier.

“We prepared with energy and a sense of urgency this week; every practice was good,” said Bates.

“You could feel early on that we were ready to play, the energy and competitiveness were there. We made some changes. We had Zach Currler take every face-off and had a different look on the wings.”

The Tiger defense had a different look in the rematch as freshman goalie Tyler Blaisdell shut the door on the Big Red with 14 saves.

“Tyler gave us a great energy and made some great saves, that is why we made the change to put him in as a starter,” said Bates. “Defensively we were really on point. Bear Goldstein and Aran Roberts were good. We focused less on Cornell and more on Princeton. We were better closing them down, we slid with a purpose. We knew they were going to make a push and we did a good job with that. We were really playing as a unit.”

Facing nemesis Yale in the Ivy title game on Sunday, Bates knew Tigers were in for a nail-biter.

“It was a quick turnaround, the last six games with them have been decided by one goal so every possession is critical,” said Bares. “We told the guys it was going to be at least a 60 minute game and maybe more.”

The Tigers dug an early hole in the game but didn’t lose faith. “At halftime we were down 4-2 and I said our best players hadn’t done anything and that there was a lot of lacrosse left,” recalled Bates. “They seemed to respond to that. We felt good throughout, the energy was good. We stayed together. It came down to our last possession.”

On that last possession, which started with 12.7 seconds left in regulation, sophomore star Currier generated a good opportunity but couldn’t cash it in.

“Zach had a shortstick on him and we feel that is always a good matchup for him so he called an audible on the play we had drawn up,” said Bates, who got a goal and eight ground balls from Currier in the loss with senior star Kip Orban leading the attack with a game-high four goals.

“His shot was from a funky angle, it just bounced wide. Then it was a Hail Mary with 2.5 seconds left, that is always tough.”

Hours later, the Tigers got the tough news that they were not going to be selected to compete in the NCAA tourney.

“It came down to four teams and we thought we had as good a shot as any of them,” said Bates, whose team was in the mix for the last three at-large slots along with Ohio State, Brown, and Cornell.

“When Brown’s name was called, we knew we were going to be on the outside looking in. It is tough to swallow. We wanted a shot and we thought we had the body of work to deserve that. We had wins over Cornell and Yale. The win over Hopkins turned out to be big win. We had the RPI.”

For Bates, getting shut out of the tourney was particularly hard to accept since it deprived senior stars Mike MacDonald and Kip Orban of the chance to extend their storied careers. MacDonald broke Jon Hess’s school record for points in a season this spring, piling up 78 points on 48 goals and 30 assists, better than the 74 points tallied by Hess in 1997. Orban’s 45 goals this season are the most ever by a Princeton midfielder and the fifth-best by an Ivy middie.

“They had historic seasons,” said Bates. “Mikey breaks the single season record; that is something looking at the history of the program, the names he has passed, and the schedule we play. They are good, humble kids. I know they would trade it all for one more game. But as time goes on, I think they will be very proud of what they did. Those are records that aren’t going to be broken any time soon.”

While the Princeton players and coaches were left with broken hearts, Bates will have fond memories of this spring.

“This is one of my favorite groups to coach, based on the adversity we faced all year,” said Bates.

“We lost four prominent guys to injury during the season. We responded to the adversity with an even-keeled attitude and didn’t blink. From an overall perspective, I could not be more proud. They accomplished a lot, on the field and in the locker room. It was a really good senior group. Kip had a lot of responsibility and shouldered it really well.”

In Bates’ view, the future looks good for the Tigers. “We have learned a lot of things in the last few weeks that will help us, there is a solid foundation for Princeton lacrosse going forward,” asserted Bates.

“The culture and the locker room are in good shape. There is optimism. I sit here this morning disappointed but I am excited about the prospects. We have good returners and some great players on the way.”