With Princeton down, Yale looks to capitalize

In recent years, men's collegiate lacrosse has been dominated by Princeton. On Sat., Apr. 3, the Tigers, defending national champions from the last three years, will be in New Haven to face the traditionally weaker Bulldogs. But this year the teams may not be as unevenly matched as in previous years. Princeton has won only one of their first four games and remains untested in league play.

"We have definitely come back to the pack this year," Princeton head coach Bill Tierney said. Over the last three years, Princeton consistently overpowered its opponents and won the Ivy title with ease. But this year, things have changed. One obvious explanation for Princeton's early troubles is the substantial loss of the Tigers' nationally recognized attack from last year: Jesse Hubbard '98, Jon Hess '98, and Chris Massey '98.

However, despite Princeton's early-season woes, Yale head coach Mike Waldvogel knows that the Tiger squad he will face on Saturday is not to be taken lightly. "They do not make mistakes," Waldvogel said. "We will have our hands full with their All-Americans returning on offense."

Although Yale lost its first league game against Penn on Sat., Mar. 20, one week later, they beat No. 16-ranked Cornell 7-6. That same day, Penn was beaten by Harvard, breathing new life into Yale's Ivy title hopes. "If last weekend was any indication," Tierney said, "this season will be a wild one. It will be very competitive in the league this year, and I would be surprised if the winner is undefeated."

For Yale to be competitive, though, the team will have to eliminate costly errors and be consistent. The Elis were down 3-1 at the half against Cornell but swiftly turned the tide as they scored six unanswered goals to a assume a 7-3 lead. Waldvogel insisted that he made no major adjustments in the locker room at the half. "We basically stayed with our game plan. They had two [first-half] extra-man goals. We need to stay out of the penalty box," he said.

Despite staying with the same game plan in the second half, the Elis played with much greater intensity. During halftime, Captain Joe Pilch, SM '99, said it was time for the seniors to "step up"--and that's exactly what happened. Midfielder Brad Graw, SM '99, had two goals, midfielder Coddy Johnson, DC '99, netted another, and defender Paul Sohn, SY '99, put an end to Cornell's final drive by stripping a player of the ball.

Pilch agreed with Waldvogel about the team's recipe for victory. "We had been given some opportunities in the first half and we were not finishing well. We need to be consistent," he said. Pilch, who stopped 18 shots last weekend, earned a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll for his efforts. Rookie attackman Brian Hunt, TD '02, was also honored--he was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for his two-goal, one-assist performance against Cornell.

When Yale faces Princeton this weekend, Tiger fans will have to worry about Princeton's offense, which Tierney called "erratic at best." If his offense is having an off-day, its troubles will be compounded by the stingy Yale defense.

"One thing you can always expect from a Mike Waldvogel team is that they are going to play great defense," Tierney said. "And when you throw a guy like Pilch into the goal, things can get dangerous," he added.

However, if Princeton is having a good day, Pilch and the Yale defenders will have their hands full. Modestly brushing off Tierney's praises, Pilch acknowledged the defense would need to play better than last week. "Last week we got lucky sometimes and gave Cornell some opportunities on offense which they did not capitalize on," Pilch said. "We are going to have to tighten things up this weekend."

If the Elis fail to secure a win against Princeton, one thing is very clear: any advantage that they gained last weekend will quickly disappear. Princeton, still undisputably the biggest obstacle for any league team this season, has an offense which can explode at any moment. Yet if Yale can remain consistent--if the team, as Pilch said, "stops talking and just does it"--the end of Princeton's dominance may be in sight.

Photo of goalie Joe Pilch, SM '99, by Julia Tiernan.

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