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Preview: Men’s Lax, Dartmouth @ Princeton

In previous years, this game would have been taken for granted.  Princeton-Dartmouth?  An easy one for the oddsmakers.  Last year, Princeton defeated Dartmouth 14-7; business as usual for the Tigers.  But this year, it’s been anything but business as usual.

True, Princeton is ranked 5th in the Inside Lacrosse poll, and 6th in the USILA, so one could easily say that the loss of legendary coach Bill Tierney hasn’t affected them one bit.  And I would tend to agree: Chris Bates has done a fine job, and Princeton has a very strong team.  But regardless of the coaching situation, this year has been a little bit unusual.  Princeton defeated Ivy rivals Penn and Yale, the former one of the traditional doormats of the league, by one goal each, with the Penn game requiring overtime to win it.  The in-state rival Scarlet Knights of Rutgers were tripped up by the Tigers 10-8, with Princeton needing not one, but two goals with a man down to pull out the victory.  These are not strong teams by any stretch of the imagination, which is cause for concern, and reason to think that the Dartmouth game will be far from a cupcake.

The two losses are some of the most respectable possible in NCAA lacrosse: North Carolina and Syracuse.  After North Carolina, fans were disappointed, but not worried.  The same cannot be said of last weekend’s Syracuse game.  In the Big City Classic – the first event at the new Meadowlands Stadium – the Tigers barely avoided losing by a touchdown and a field goal, falling to the Orange 13-4.  For both squads, it was a true team effort.  Syracuse was in sync, executing crisp passes and plays and just generally looking dominant.  On the Orange and Black side, the exact opposite was the case: everybody stunk.  All teams are allowed off days, and Tiger fans can only hope that was the only one this season.  The Rutgers victory is cause for optimism, but the bandwagon won’t really get rolling until a dominant win over one of the next two opponents – Dartmouth and Harvard – or a defeat of perennial powerhouse Cornell in two weeks.

Regaining that momentum is exactly why this game is so important.  Most observers – myself included – expect the Tigers to win and retain their position atop the Ivy League standings, but the margin of victory is key.  If it’s a squeaker like the Penn or Yale games, Princeton won’t have won over any supporters.  If they go out and thrash the Big Green like they are capable of, the following weeks will be a little less straining on the nerves of the team and the fans.

Keys to the game:

1) Tyler Fiorito.  This one is pretty self-explanatory, but Fiorito started off the season slowly, and reached a low point last weekend against Syracuse, letting in 13 goals and saving only 12 shots.  He bettered himself with a fantastic performance on Tuesday against the Scarlet Knights, allowing only 8 goals to go with 14 saves.  As he goes, so do the Tigers, and if his performance against Rutgers turns into a streak, Princeton should win handily.

2) Shutting down Ari Sussman.  The senior captain of the Big Green also leads them in points with 28, 16 goals and 12 assists.  The Big Green are last in the Ivy League in scoring, so if Chad Wiedmaier can keep him in check, there are not too many options that can threaten the Princeton net.  Junior Josh Etzion and Freshman Chris Costabile are solid players, but denying opportunities to the star of an already weak attack can finish the game before it really gets started.

3) Keep the foot on the gas pedal.  Not even considering the implications for national polls, which become important in terms of seeding for the NCAA tournament, a shellacking of Dartmouth will do wonders for the psyche of the team, and give them much-deserved confidence going into the back stretch of the season.

Prediction: 12-9, Princeton

Update: Congratulations on the Princeton Tigers impressive win 16-2 win over Dartmouth. We hope you continue to surprise us.