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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Princeton Men's Lacrosse Drops to 0-3, Seeking Identity as It Girds for Syracuse
By Bill Alden
In dropping its first two games this season, the Princeton University men's lacrosse team failed to score a goal in the first quarter.
Last Saturday, the Tigers hit the field at Hofstra for their third game determined to get out the gate with a rush. Princeton finally showed some early punch as Jim O'Brien and Whitney Hayes found the back of the net within a 58-second period in the first quarter.
But a gritty Hofstra team answered with three straight goals to break Princeton's rhythm and turn the game into a cliffhanger. The teams were knotted at 4-4 at the half and 8-8 entering the fourth quarter.
Faltering in the fourth quarter this time, Princeton dropped a 9-8 decision as the Pride scored with 9:20 left and the Tigers turned the ball over on its next three possessions.
In reflecting on the setback which left Princeton at 0-3 for the first time since 1999, Princeton head coach Bill Tierney acknowledged that he was feeling confident when his team jumped out to the 2-0 advantage.
"One of the things we had talked about for that game was to get off to a good start," said Tierney. "The kids paid attention and were ready to go. O'Brien and Hayes came through with great goals."
But Tierney's early confidence turned to disappointment as his team let the Pride back into the contest. "The defense has been holding us up," said Tierney. "We get off to a great offensive start and then the defense lets down. I was surprised. We're at 0-2 and we lost our intensity when they came back."
Tierney was happy with the intensity shown by sophomore star Peter Trombino, who had a big game under trying circumstances. "Peter had a tough week, his grandfather died and we didn't know if he would play," said Tierney of Trombino, who had two goals and two assists against Hofstra.
"He played well. Peter and Jason [Doneger] are most affected by Ryan Boyle having graduated. I think Peter is getting in sync with how he has to play in 2005."
The Tigers collectively need to get in sync in order to deal with the challenges they face this spring. "We told them that just putting on the Princeton uniform and losing to the No. 1 and No. 2 teams isn't OK," said Tierney, referring to his team's defeats earlier this season to Johns Hopkins and Virginia.
"That's not what we're made of. There is a target on our back and we have to play well from the first minute to the last. You can't expect to go out and crush the Ivy League. Things are different, everybody is good."
The Hall of Fame coach, though, has some experience helping a team rebound from a slow start as his 2002 team started 1-3 but came on to make it all the way to the NCAA title game. Tierney sees this year's situation as a different challenge.
"That team was overconfident, I give them credit for fighting back," said Tierney, referring to the 2002 team which was the defending national champions. "This year is a young team that's looking for its identity. I have confidence that we can find it."
The Tigers face a tough challenge in their search for identity as they host defending national champion Syracuse on March 26.
"You can bemoan it or look at it like a good opportunity," said Tierney, referring to the clash with Syracuse which has struggled to a 1-3 start.
"We need to put together a full team effort. We need our offense to click. We know that they will be coming at us so we also need our defense to play well."
Acknowledging that his team is discouraged, Tierney will drawing on his vast experience and leadership skill as he tries to guide his squad back on the right track.
"Usually when a team is desperate you look for magical ways to right the ship," said Tierney, who has a 192-65 record in his 18 seasons at Princeton and has led the Tigers to six national titles.
"We just need to keep the course steady and not panic. We can't dismantle everything, we just need to make some subtle changes. The only thing we need to work on this week is getting better. If we do that, we'll be fine."
