RILED UP: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Riley Thompson unloads the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, senior midfielder and tri-captain Thompson tallied two goals and two assists in a losing cause as Princeton fell 14-7 to visiting Penn in the Ivy League opener for both teams. Princeton, now 3-3 overall and 0-1 Ivy, plays at No. 6 Yale (5-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy) on March 24. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

In the first few weeks of the 2018 season, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team has demonstrated a flair for drama, pulling out two nail-biter wins over local rivals.

The Tigers opened the campaign by edging Monmouth 9-8 in double overtime on February 17. Three weeks later, Princeton trailed Rutgers 14-10 early in the fourth quarter and rallied to win 15-14 in the first overtime.

Last Saturday in its Ivy League opener against visiting Penn, the Tigers trailed 7-3 in the third quarter but started to fight back. When Princeton senior star Riley Thompson tallied to narrow the gap to 7-5, he believed that another dramatic victory was in the offing.

“In most of our games so far we have been coming from behind so we knew we could come back,” said midfielder and tri-captain Thompson. “That got in our head, expecting a comeback.”

But Penn reeled off six unanswered goals to snuff out the Princeton rally on the way to a 14-7 triumph.

While Thompson was disappointed by the result, he liked the way the Tigers kept battling as they scored two goals in the last 4:43 of the contest.

“I think that has shown through our overtime wins, being able to stick with it,” said Thompson, who notched the final tally of the game with 1:14 remaining in regulation to give him two goals and two assists on the day.

“We didn’t today; there were periods in there where you can tell that it was too late to come back, but it is good to see that we kept fighting to the end.”

Thompson, though, didn’t see enough fight as Princeton prepared for the clash against Penn.

“We could tell on probably Tuesday or Wednesday this week, having a couple of slow practices, that is the outcome we are going to get on the weekend,” said Thompson.

“Starting on Monday morning, we need to be playing like we are going to play in the weekend all week.”

The Tigers also need to jump start their high octane attack. “Our offense has been a staple for the last few years and we just kind of expected it to pick up where we left off so today was a big eye opener that we need to keep putting the work in and get better every week,” said Thompson.

As the most experienced offensive performer on the squad, Thompson is looking to get his teammates on the same page.

“We do our best to work off the field to make sure that everyone understands enough that we can run the offense together,” added Thompson, who now has 14 points this season on eight goals and six assists and 86 points in his career with 41 goals and 45 assists.

Entering the homestretch of his college career, Thompson is hoping that Princeton can put together a big run this spring.

“I have gotten the message every year from the seniors how quickly it goes and you don’t really realize it until senior year,” said Thompson.

“I am trying to send that message to the younger guys that you never know what year is going to be your year. Obviously you want it to be this year.”

Princeton head coach Matt Madalon acknowledged that it wasn’t Princeton’s day as a deliberate Penn team controlled the tempo of the contest.

“Penn plays really slow. They did a good job of executing their game plan,” said Madalon. “It is frustrating but they did a good job.”

The Tigers need to do a better job on defense as they are giving up 13 goals a game. “We are going to work at it,” said Madalon, referring to his defensive unit. “It is is a work in progress.”

With five Ivy contests to go, the Tigers won’t be dwelling on the loss to Penn.

“You don’t want to waste any opportunities,” said Madalon, whose team plays at No. 6 Yale (5-1 overall, 1-0 Ivy) on March 24.

“We will shift our focus quickly and learn from our mistakes. Everyone just played a little flat today. We need to flush it and have a good week of practice.”

Thompson, for his part, believes that Princeton can still have a very good season.

“Our goal is still to make that Ivy tournament and win the title,” said Thompson.

“We are going to need to change how we prepare. Yale is another good team, they have taken the last few titles. We just need to put in the work.”