[OT LAX] Cornell lacrosse vs. Princeton

[Hillel Hoffmann]

This year’s Princeton game feels like it's being played in Bizarro World. We're the hunted; they're the hunters. Even for those of us schooled in fatter times, it feels… unnatural.

Hard to know what to make of the Tigers. Despite their youth, they played some of the best teams in the nation close early in the season (Tambroni was correct when he stated in this morning's Sun that any Ivy team, Cornell included, would likely have a similar record with Princeton's brutal early schedule). Yet they also have been choking dogs against some mediocre teams. They're even making the occasional mental mistake. Go figure.

The bad news is they seem to be gaining some confidence, scoring double-digit goals against two consecutive opponents for the first time since April 2004. And they're playing for their lives. Princeton cannot get into the tournament without the Ivy AQ.

The conventional preseason wisdom about Princeton -- that their offense would suffer without Ryan Boyle around to give their best shooters the rock -- turned out to be true. The productivity of marksmen like Doneger (one of Princeton's few seniors) has declined. Most of their offense flows through sophomore attackman Scott Sowanick, who has been taking shifts as a midfielder as Tierney experiments with ways to create better shots. Princeton's best player is freshman defenseman Dan Cocoziello from New Jersey HS lax powerhouse Delbarton; look for him wearing #1 -- he's a joy to watch. Cocoziello was the most coveted recruit in the nation, and he might already be one of the best defenseman in the Ivy League. Tierney has started three different goalies this season. Last year's primary starter, Dave Law, was thrown to the wolves in the first few games. Then senior Matt Larkin had a shot. Then they tried freshman Alex Hewit, Coco's bud from Delbarton, for a spell. Now they seem to be back with Law, who has given up only four goals in the last two games.

I don't buy the argument that Cornell should run, run, run against the Tigers. Part of the reason that Cornell got away with playing an aggressive transition game (with the associated high turnover rate) in the middle of the season is due to the fact that their opponents, such as Harvard and Syracuse, were undisciplined turnover machines themselves. They would cough up the ball or get nailed for a violation on the clear within seconds of getting the ball from Cornell. Although this Princeton team doesn’t protect the ball as well as they usually do, you can't count on them to do stupid stuff. Cornell needs to be highly selective with their fast-break opportunities. Besides, the weather may conspire against the kinds of 30-yard feeds from long sticks that created a bunch of goals in the Carrier Dome.

You have to like Cornell's chances, given their experience. Cornell's middies, who know how to play in the rain, are likely to make Princeton's young midfielders feel like they have their clothes on sideways.

Can't wait. Bring it on.

[KenP]

Thanks for the preview!  Looking forward to "watching" the game on this thread...

LGR!

[Jordan 04]

Is it today?  Or tomorrow?

[Jacob '06]

[Q]Jordan 04 Wrote:

 Is it today?  Or tomorrow?[/q]

tomorrow

[peterg]

Great pregame post, but I do have to say that when I saw PU in their TV game against Syracuse, they were very sloppy with the ball (both teams were).  I'm sure that has improved as they have played more (it was their fourth game), but they sure did not look good (note that they only lost to SU by 2 goals).

[Al DeFlorio]

Link just posted on the Cornell athletics site for streaming video broadcast of the Princeton game. :-)

[Hillel Hoffmann]

[Q]Al DeFlorio Wrote: Link just posted on the Cornell athletics site for streaming video broadcast of the Princeton game. [/q]
The video broadcast link was just posted on the laxpower forum. Groan. Look out -- heavy usage ahead.

[jy3]

LGR!:-D

[ben03]

[Q]Hillel Hoffmann Wrote:
[Q2]Al DeFlorio Wrote: Link just posted on the Cornell athletics site for streaming video broadcast of the Princeton game. [/Q]
The video broadcast link was just posted on the laxpower forum. Groan. Look out -- heavy usage ahead.[/q]
remember, it's still limited to 50 users at a time so be on early if you want to watch.

[JasonN95]

It's 12:10pm, and I can't log on, so I guess it's already full. Oh well. I'm just trying to figure out how UNC @ 'Gate was picked for today's CSTV lax game over the Cornell/Princeton game, especially given the Cornell @ Princeton game last year. If they were willing and able to get cameras and crew to Hamilton, Ithaca would have been just as easy.

BTW, at 12:30pm, Lacrosse Weekly will be on CSTV. I haven't caught any episodes this season, but it is possible that the Syracuse/Cornell game didn't make the show last week and could appear today. (That's pure speculation on my part, though.)

[DeltaOne81]

The game's at 1 today, so it's not available yet... should be in a few minutes

[Al DeFlorio]

Brown leading Dartmouth 6-4 late first half

[JasonN95]

Lacrosse Weekly did indeed show the Syracuse/Cornell highlights. It'll air again tonight at midnight.

EDIT: and Cornell/Dartmouth highlights.

[DeltaOne81]

Video is just giving me "an error occurred" - anyone else?

For now I pulled up the audio. I'm at my parents and I'm not convinced the bandwidth here will support the video anyway, but I'd like to try. If the video isn't working for anyone, I'll give updates until things are straightened out.

[DeltaOne81]

REDD!! 1-0 Cornell early, with possession again