Tigers rip Rutgers; begin Ivy schedule Saturday at Yale
By: Bob Nuse
PISCATAWAY Just three days after an emotional loss at Syracuse, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team was faced with the prospects of playing an improved Rutgers team on the road on a cold March night.
On one hand, it was nice to have a game come so quickly to put the Syracuse loss in the past. But on the other hand, having to play with that game still fresh in their minds could have hindered the Tigers.
"I think it was good for us that right away we had to think about another team and get ready for another game," said Princeton sophomore Owen Daly, who scored a goal for the Tigers in a 14-5 win over the Scarlet Knights on Tuesday at Yurcak Field. "We didn’t have a chance to dwell on Syracuse because we had to come back and get ready for Rutgers, which we know is always a tough team to play.
"We wanted to come out and play well. We got off to a good start, then they came back a little bit on us."
The Tigers showed no signs of any hangover from the loss in Syracuse as they bolted out to a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Rutgers battled back and got as close as 6-3 after it scored the first two goals of the second half. But Princeton outscored the home team 8-2 over the rest of the half to pull away and improve to 4-1 on the season.
"This is the battle of New Jersey," Daly said. "They have a lot of New Jersey kids and we have quite a few. So a lot of these guys know each other. It’s always a good rivalry. We knew we had to come out and play hard."
The Tigers now have four wins in five pre-Ivy League games. They’ll open the Ivy season Saturday at Yale before heading to Philadelphia to play Penn on Tuesday afternoon.
"Coach (Bill) Tierney has said that every game we have is a tough game," Daly said. "We played some of the top teams in the country the first few weeks of the season. So you have to be happy to come out of it 4-1. We’d like to be undefeated, but we’re 4-1 after playing some pretty tough teams."
Daly is certainly no stranger to playing tough competition. The summer before he came to Princeton he played for the United States team that won the Under-19 World Championship. While there, he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
"That was a great experience because I got to play with and against some of the best players in the world," said Daly, who had nine goals and three assists as a freshman a year ago. "I think it helped me with the jump from high school to college. The competition level is so different, so it was nice to get the chance to play with those guys before I came here.
"The amount of improvement you make from senior year in high school until the end of your freshman year in college is incredible. I think I came in a little more prepared from having played in that tournament."
Now Princeton hopes its schedule has prepared it for what should be an interesting Ivy League race. While the Tigers are the clear favorite, any team in the league seems capable of springing an upset.
"We have Yale and then Penn, so we can’t let up," Daly said. "We know that every team in the Ivy League comes in ready to play against us. So we have to be ready to play."
In the win over Rutgers, the Tigers showed they have the ability to come ready to play even on days when their thoughts might be elsewhere.
"It was nice to have this game and not have to live with the loss to Syracuse for a whole week," said Tierney, whose team was led by the four goals it received from B.J. Prager. "But the hangover from that game could have still been with us. It was nice to see the guys come out and have that good first period. It got a little ugly after that.
"But this was a good win for us and it should have the guys feeling a little better about themselves. We’re lucky this worked out the way it did."