Men's Lacrosse: Orange teams collide in non-league battle

At their goals allowed rate, the goalies and Tiger defense are on track to allow 86 goals in the overall regular season, slightly less than the 92 count last season. Princeton’s offense, however, has already dramatically outperformed last year’s benchmark. With a total of 85 successful shot attempts overall last year, the team struggled to a 4-8 overall record and a 2-4 standing in the Ivy League, failing to advance to the Ivy League tournament and missing a chance at an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Continuing its level of play, Princeton’s offense could very well overwhelm its 2010-11 stats and finish the year with 139 goals, 54 more than last year.

But if Princeton graduated only three seniors on attack after its, offensively speaking, less-than-mediocre season, then what other factors explain the vast turnaround? Surely, the Tigers entered their Apr. 9 game last year against Syracuse while wading 14 players deep in injuries, half of which were season-ending by that contest. But the team’s leading scorer, sophomore midfielder Tom Schreiber, attributes the offense’s current success to other factors as well: familiarity and work ethic.

“We’re not only a better team on paper, we’re also a better team in terms of chemistry and leadership,” Schreiber said. “[For one], our offense is doing a lot better this year. Several guys did a ton of extra work in the off-season together, so we know each other better, we know where to be on the field, and we know that a lot of guys are working really hard.”

Schreiber has started all of the Tigers’ eight games and leads the team with 17 goals, 17 assists and 34 points. He ranks ninth in the country with 4.25 points per game. Syracuse (4-4), now a No. 17 team, possesses only three players with 10 or more goals. Tommy Palasek, with 10 goals and 11 assists, leads in team points with 21. Additionally, Derek Maltz and Tim Desko make the top-three offensive list with 13 goals apiece and 11 assists and 37 points combined.

Though perspectives have reversed this year, Syracuse remains an important and difficult rival. Combined, the Tigers and the Orange have won 16 of the last 24 NCAA titles, with six for Princeton and 10 for SU. Syracuse edges Princeton in the overall series as well, maintaining an 18-9 lead in the 27-year matchup. The two opponents competed in the NCAA final for three straight years in 2000, 2001 and 2002 in addition to its meeting in 1992. (The Tigers won in 1992 and 2001; The Orange won in 2000 and 2002.) The peak of the rivalry came between 1996 and 2003, when the teams met 12 times with Syracuse capturing seven wins. History may not weigh in Princeton’s favor, but all other factors point to a Tiger victory.

“Overall, we are scoring more, but that has to start somewhere,” junior midfielder Tucker Shanley said. “That first comes from the coaches, who create great game plans. The players fit into that system and play in that system … We have done that extremely well this year.”

Shanley sits third in scoring with 12 goals, four assists and 16 points. Shanley has also scored at least one goal in every game this year.

In the Ivy League, the refurbished Tigers certainly appear to be in a favorable position. Besides Cornell, Princeton is the only team in the conference to boast a 3-0 record, a standing which almost always guarantees a spot in the Ivy League tournament. Winning the Ivy tournament in the postseason would give the Tigers an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Looking further on? Princeton has failed to cinch an NCAA title since 2001 when it beat Syracuse 10-9 in overtime.

But perhaps with a strong advantage over the historical rival and a high position in the national rankings, the Tigers might find themselves in a championship year.

“Is this a championship year? According to my dad, yes,” Shanley joked. “But in all honesty, if we run our offense like we’ve been doing and our defense continues to hold teams off, we can absolutely win the title, or at least end the season on a very positive note.”

After its Apr. 7 game at Carrier Dome, Princeton returns home to Sherrerd Field next week to play neighboring Rutgers on Apr. 10 and Ancient Eight opponent Dartmouth on Apr. 14. The rest of regular-season play involves matchups against unranked teams.