Men's Lacrosse: Playoff hopes remain in final weekend

The Tigers (4-7 overall, 2-3 Ivy League) are coming into this game after suffering a close 9-8 loss to Harvard. On the other hand, the Big Red (10-2, 5-0) is riding a seven-game winning streak and is looking to complete a perfect Ivy League season.

If Princeton upsets league-leading Cornell, it will still need help from Yale to earn a spot in the Ivy League Tournament. If the Tigers beat the Big Red and Yale beats Harvard, Princeton will secure the fourth seed. If the Tigers lose, they still have a shot at a playoff berth but need Yale to defeat Harvard and Dartmouth to defeat Brown. This scenario would force a three-way tie between the Tigers, the Crimson and the Big Green, and the final postseason qualifier would be selected by a random draw.

Princeton will have to pull off the upset without two of its top players, however. Sophomore attackman Luke Armour and senior attackman Chris McBride will not play due to injuries sustained in practice. Armour dislocated his thumb while McBride suffered a torn oblique muscle.

Cornell is the top offensive team in the Ivy League, averaging a conference-high 13.3 goals per game and a .329 shot percentage. Princeton, on the other hand, ranks last in both of these categories. The Tigers know it will be a tough battle against the Big Red, which already secured the top seed in the Ivy League Tournament.

The team seems confident, however, and is going into this game with a clear sense of urgency.

“Statistically, Cornell has the most productive offense in the league, but I think we have the best defense and goalie in the country, which we have relied on all year to keep us in games,” freshman midfielder Tom Schreiber said. “It will be up to our offense to step up and perform, which I know we are capable of.”

Schreiber leads the Tigers’ offense with 14 goals and 13 assists. In the team’s loss to Harvard, Schreiber was held scoreless for the first time since March 15. The rookie seems unshaken by the poor offensive performance, however, and said he is looking to bounce back against Cornell.

“I’ve been taking some extra shots after practice, but other than that I haven’t thought about the Harvard game,” Schreiber said. “We have turned the page and have been focusing on Cornell and Cornell only.”

Princeton has been creating offensive opportunities recently but has not been able to capitalize. Against Harvard last weekend, Princeton took 45 shots and came up with just eight goals, and the week before the Tigers took 39 shots against Dartmouth and again had just eight goals to show for it. The Tigers have been working on their shooting in practice this week, hoping to put together a strong offensive performance against Cornell.

“On the offensive side of the ball, one of the main focuses has been shooting,” senior attack and co-captain Chris McBride said. “The past two games, we really have been getting our shots and opportunities, but we’re not putting them on cage or in the right areas.”

Cornell has proved itself a poised team and an offensive powerhouse, but the Tigers know what they’re up against and know they need to step up to the occasion.

“We have our work cut out for us, but it’s Cornell-Princeton. Records don’t matter,” head coach Chris Bates said. “It will be a battle.”

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Princeton is facing one of its biggest Ivy League rivals this weekend, but the Tigers have dropped seven of their last nine games to the Big Red. With the stakes so high, Princeton will have to bring its best to beat Cornell. If the Tigers advance to the Ivy League Tournament, they will face off against Cornell again in the first round.

“Ever since I’ve been here, Cornell is always the first team circled on the schedule — they’re one of our biggest rivals, hands down,” McBride said. “We know from the first whistle they’re going to try and knock us out, so we are going to be ready to leave everything out on the field and do the same to them.”