Next up for men's lacrosse: Defending national champions

One would think that following last Saturday's victory over then-No. 3 Johns Hopkins, the men's lacrosse team would look to play a lesser team this weekend. Instead, No. 2 Princeton gets to play the defending national champions. Tomorrow, the Tigers (1-0) will take on Virginia (0-1) in Charlottesville, Va.

The game will feature two of the nation's top programs as Princeton and Virginia have combined for the last four national championships (Princeton in 1996, 1997 and 1998; Virginia in 1999). The No. 3 Cavaliers return the majority of their starters from last year's championship winning squad. Virginia also features one of the tougher scoring defenses in the country.

"They're very athletic," Princeton head coach Bill Tierney said. "They're really big and strong in the defensive end of the field. The whole game is going to be a challenge."

Last year, in a game played at home, Princeton's offense was stymied by Virginia's quick sliding defense en route to a 6-4 loss. The Cavaliers held the home side to a mere eight shots on goal, as numerous Princeton attempts sailed wide of the cage.

This time around, the Tigers will rely on the scoring output of junior attackman Matt Striebel and sophomore attackman B.J. Prager. Against Johns Hopkins, Striebel had a career-high four-goal performance while orchestrating Princeton's ball-movement-based offense.

Another key for Princeton will be controlling the ball on face-offs. The Tigers' junior midfielder Matt Bailer started the season strong on draws last weekend and will be counted on for a repeat performance.

"If we can win some face-offs like we did last week and get more good shots then [we'll have some] possibilities," Tierney said.

To knock off Virginia, Princeton will need another strong performance from its heralded freshman class. Against the Blue Jays, attackman Sean Hartofilis and midfielder Owen Daly each netted a goal in their career-openers. On the defensive side, freshman Damien Davis will probably start at close defense and try to contain Virginia's potent attack, which is led by Conor Gill.

"So far, [the freshmen] have been great," senior midfielder and captain Chris Berrier said. "They all handled the pressure of a pretty big crowd and the first away game very well. It's good for our team to know that most of the freshmen aren't going to be making freshmen mistakes."

Here comes the son

Princeton will also look for another strong performance from junior goalie Trevor Tierney. Tierney was named Ivy League Player of the Week after his 22-save performance against Johns Hopkins last week. The 22 stops were the most by a Princeton netminder since 1991.

Last weekend, Virginia fell in its season opener to current-No. 1 Syracuse, 13-12, in overtime. The Cavaliers gained possession of the ball in extra time , but quickly lost it after being whistled for illegal procedure when they called a timeout in their defensive end.

The Tigers will return home for their first home game at Class of 1952 Stadium against No. 10 Hofstra March 18. The Flying Dutchmen feature a very young, athletic squad, and will provide a stern challenge for Princeton in the Tigers' home opener.