Men's Lacrosse: Tigers aim to maintain postseason hopes

After a string of tough injuries and close losses, the Tigers have been returning to form in their past two wins after edging out cross-state rival Rutgers 11-10 and traveling the following weekend to soundly defeat Dartmouth 8-4.

After losing so many players this year to injury, Princeton seems to be slowly finding new contributors on offense.

During the wins over Dartmouth and Rutgers, five different Princeton players were able to find the back of the cage in each game. Since Princeton has been able to diversify its contributors, spectators this weekend should be able to see strong performances from any player, giving the Tigers a good chance as they seek a postseason berth.

In the last two wins, Princeton could not find the lead at the half but was boosted in the second by strong late-game performances.

The Tigers also appear to have developed a strong defense, as junior goalie Tyler Fiorito has had the best season of his college career and is second in the Ivy League with a 7.24 goals-against average and a save percentage of .600.

This season, the main concern for the Tigers has been the search for possession. Princeton is second to last in the Ivy League in ground balls with an average of 26.50 and last in the league with a faceoff win percentage of .376 percent.

The Crimson have also struggled this season. Harvard could easily have been at the top of the Ivy League this year, as many of its losses came by a slim margin. All three of its league defeats this season were by a single goal.

During Harvard’s most recent game, the Crimson lost 7-6 in double overtime to a Penn team that soundly defeated Princeton earlier this year. League records aside, this Crimson squad is powerful and will not go down without a fight.

For both teams, this weekend presents a huge opportunity to extend the season for a few more weeks.

With the creation of the Ivy League Lacrosse Championship during the 2009-10 season, Princeton still has a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament if it can clinch the League’s automatic playoff berth. To earn an invitation to the Ivy League Championship, Princeton needs to finish conference play in one of the top four spots in the league.

Princeton is currently fourth in the Ivy League, with Harvard right behind in the fifth-place spot. A loss this weekend would make Princeton’s final regular-season game against No. 3 Cornell a must-win if the Tigers hope to extend their run into the postseason.

Princeton could conceivably earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, but must have an overall record of .500 or better to be eligible to be selected. The Tigers are currently two games below that mark with a maximum of four to play, meaning that the only way they could be eligible without earning the league’s automatic bid would be if they win their next three games before falling in the finals of the conference touranment.