.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Goalie
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's LacrosseGoalie
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Defense
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Midfield
/ Men's Lacrosse
Attack
/ Men's Lacrosse
Princeton Men's Lacrosse Opens 2007 With High Hopes
February 19, 2007 | General, Men's Lacrosse
Bill Tierney made his name as a defensive coach, and he has put some of the greatest defensive teams in college lacrosse history on the field in his first 19 seasons as Princeton head coach.
The 2007 edition of the Princeton men's lacrosse team has the potential to rival any of its predecessors on the defensive end of the field. Couple that with a veteran offense and another infusion of talented freshmen, and Princeton looks ready to contend for a possible 14th Ivy League championship under Tierney, as well as a return to the Final Four for the 11th time.
The 2006 season marked a return to national prominence for Princeton after a one-year absence. After seeing its streaks of 10 straight league titles and 15 straight NCAA tournament appearances come to end the year before, Princeton rebounded for an 11-5 season in 2006 that saw the Tigers earn a share of the Ivy League championship and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Back from that team are six players who have earned All-America honors. All four players who started on attack, seven of the top eight offensive midfielders, three of the top four shortstick defensive midfielders, the top two longstick midfielders, two of the three starters on close defense, the starting goalie and the top three face-off specialists all return this season.
Princeton, ranked fourth by Inside Lacrosse and third by Lacrosse Magazine in the preseason, opens its season Feb. 24, when it hosts Canisius in the first of 13 regular-season games. Testing itself as always, Princeton plays eight of its 13 games against teams ranked in the Top 25 by Inside Lacrosse, as well as four of the top eight.
The Tigers gave up their home game with Johns Hopkins to be part of the inaugural Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic, an event that will pair the Tigers and Blue Jays as the opener of a doubleheader that concludes with Virginia and Syracuse at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on March 3. Princeton (6), Syracuse (5), Virginia (3) and Hopkins (1) have combined to win every NCAA championship since 1992; M&T Bank Stadium will host the 2007 Final Four Memorial Day weekend.
The Tigers head to Charlottesville to take on the defending champion Cavaliers the week after the Baltimore trip, and that is followed by games at Rutgers and Hofstra before a home game against Bellarmine. The Ivy League season opens March 31 at Yale; Princeton's other non-league game is an April 7 showdown with Syracuse at Princeton Stadium.
Princeton's men's lacrosse 2007, position-by-position …
Attack
Starters returning – Peter Trombino (22-18-40), Scott Sowanick (20-18-38, now listed at midfield), Alex Haynie (12 starts, 13-6-19)/Tommy Davis (4 starts, 15-1-16)
Starters lost – none
Other returning letterwinners – Dan Brown (0-0-0), Tommy Firth (0-0-0), Bob Schneider (10-3-13), Tripp Shriner (2-3-5),
Other letterwinners lost – Dom Fuccillo (0-0-0)
Newcomers – Rob Engelke, Sam Hayes, Scott MacKenzie, Ryan Morrell
Peter Trombino returns for his senior year as the only player in program history with at least 20 goals and at least 10 assists as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Trombino, whose overtime goal against Maryland in the 2004 quarterfinals sent Princeton to the Final Four, was an honorable mention All-America a year ago after a 22-goal, 18-assist season that gave him a team-best 40 points, and he was named a preseason second-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse. Junior Alex Haynie started 12 games on attack a year ago, when he scored 13 goals and had six assists. Haynie split time with Tommy Davis, who started four times last year during a freshman season that saw him score 15 goals despite missing six games with a shoulder injury in midseason before retuning to score five goals in two NCAA tournament games. Tripp Shriner, a senior, returns as a veteran lefthanded attackman who plays primarily in extra-man situations. Junior Bob Schneider, who moved between midfield and attack a year ago, was the biggest Tiger on offense a year ago 6-3, 225; this year, it is a much different situation. Among the freshmen on attack are 6-5, 210-pound Scott Mackenzie, 6-4, 225-pound Sam Hayes and 6-3, 215-pound Ryan Morrell. Freshman Rob Engelke, who played well on the extra-man unit in the fall, is also part of the attack picture.
Offensive Midfield
Starters returning – Mark Kovler (18-8-26), Josh Lesko (11-6-17)
Starter lost – Jim O'Brien (7-5-12)
Other returning letterwinners – Michael Biles (0-0-0), Trip Cowin (6-2-8), Mike Gaudio (2-0-2), Whitney Hayes (6-7-13), Rich Sgalardi (1-0-1), Pete Striebel (1-0-1), Jim Weiss (0-0-0)
Other letterwinners lost – Mac Bryson (4-4-8), Erik Kudla (0-0-0), Michael Wenzel (3-2-5)
Newcomers – Paul Barnes, Jimmy Davis, Andy Kittler, David Marshall
Scott Sowanick, who like Trombino has started every game of his career but who has bounced between midfield and attack, may finally settle in as a middie for his senior year. Sowanick, who has 72 points the last two years, was a preseason third-team All-America selection. Sophomore Mark Kovler was Princeton's third-leading scorer a year ago, when his 18 goals and eight assists earned him second-team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-America honors. Kovler, who scored at least one goal in each of the last nine games of the year, had the sixth-highest single-season goal total by a Princeton freshman. Josh Lesko, another sophomore, scored 11 goals and had six assists last year while playing as much on the defensive end as he did on the offensive end. Like Kovler, Lesko was a preseason honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse. Princeton has a host of other experienced midfielders behind those two. Mike Gaudio was Princeton's top scoring threat in the midfield when he tore his ACL against Hopkins last year; before the injury he had scored at least one goal in 13 straight games, which is the longest current streak by a Princeton player. Whitney Hayes has been in the first or second midfield since his freshman year and enters his senior year with 60 career points; Trip Cowin is another player who can play attack or midfield. Depth in the midfield should be a strength, with Biles, Striebel, Sgalardi and Barnes all coming off strong fall seasons while Cowin, Gaudio and Schneider were out with injuries.
Defensive Midfield
Starters returning – Zack Goldberg (3-4-7), Josh Lesko (11-6-17)
Starters lost – Grant Hewit (0-1-1)
Other returning letterwinners – Jeff Izant (0-0-0) Brendan Reilly (0-0-0), Derek Sudan (16 games played)
Other letterwinners lost – none
Newcomers – Chris Chandler
Princeton has had some great shortstick defensive midfielders, and junior Zack Goldberg is the equal of any of them. Goldberg is not only a tremendous defender but also a big transition threat, and he and Josh Lesko give the Tigers perhaps their two fastest players to have played this position under Tierney. Grant Hewit, a captain of last year's team, graduates, but senior Derek Sudan, who has played in every game but one the last two years, and sophomore Brendan Reilly will help pick up the slack caused by Hewit's absence, as will freshman Chris Chandler, who had an outstanding fall while learning how to play this important position.
Longstick midfielder
Returning starters – John Bennett (8GB), Charlie Kolkin (13 GB)
Starters lost – none
Other returning letterwinners – none
Other letterwinners lost – Tony Vita
Newcomers – none
Senior John Bennett has been sharing the longstick midfielder position since the start of his freshman season, and he brings a great deal of experience to the defense. The same is true of sophomore Charlie Kolkin, who played in every game last year and became the featured pole when Bennett was hurt in the late season.
Face-off
Starters returning – Alex Berg (101x210), Mike DeSantis (25x50)
Starters lost –none
Other returning letterwinners – Greg Seaman (7x15)
Other letterwinners lost – Ryan Schoenig (6x9), Hakim Thompson (11x16)
Princeton's leading face-off man of the last two years is back, though it is in the form of two different players. Senior Mike DeSantis, who was the No. 1 two years ago and the No. 2 last year, has won exactly 50% of his draws each of the last two seasons. Junior Alex Berg was No. 2 two years ago and No. 1 last year. Both have had big games in the past: DeSantis won 7 of 12 draws against Harvard to help turn that game, while Berg won 14 of 21 against UMBC in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Sophomore Greg Seaman, the son of Towson coach Tony Seaman, has as good a chance as either Berg or DeSantis to be the No. 1 man this year.
Defense
Starters returning – Dan Cocoziello (3-2-5, 37 GB), Zachary Jungers (29 GB)
Starter lost – Ryan Schoenig (17 GB)
Other returning letterwinners – Dave Baker, Nick Hermandorfer, Tim Novick, Chris Peyser (0-1-1, 8 GB), Will Presti, Peter Trentman
Other letterwinners lost – Mark Schwartz
Newcomers – Jeremy Hirsch
Where exactly do you start with this defense? Princeton allowed 6.56 goals per game a year ago, and even with the loss of starting defenseman Ryan Schoenig, this year's group looks to be better. Senior Zachary Jungers, a third-team All-America a year ago and preseason second-team All-America, is back for his senior year after spending his first two as the No. 1 longstick midfielder and last year as a dominant close defender. Junior Dan Cocoziello was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection and second-team All-America last year, and he is a preseason first-team All-America this time around. Cocoziello, who has started every game of his career, added three goals and two assists in transition to his ability as a top-flight defender; in all, it adds up to perhaps the best defenseman in the country. Sophomore Chris Peyser figures to move into Schoenig's starting spot, though he can also play the pole; Peyser played in every game as a freshman and started when Schoenig played with a shortstick. Freshman Jeremy Hirsch is one of the top defensive recruits in college lacrosse, and he gives even more flexibility to the unit. Will Presti enters his senior year as another defensive option who has seen a good deal of playing time in his career.
Goalie
Starters returning – Alex Hewit (6.49 GAA, .646 save percentage)
Starters lost – none
Other returning letterwinners – Evan Magruder
Other letterwinners lost – Dave Law, Eric Chase
Newcomers – Nikhil Ashra
Junior Alex Hewit joined an elite group of three first-team All-America goalies to play for Bill Tierney; the other two members of the club, Scott Bacigalupo '94 and Trevor Tierney '01, are among the greatest collegiate goalies of all time. Hewit had a 6.49 goals-against average and .646 save percentage last year, and the highlight was his 20-save percentage that held NCAA-champ Virginia to just seven goals, by far its lowest total of the year. Hewit will continue to battle Cornell's Matt McMonagle for the top honors in the league and country: McMonagle was actually first-team All-Ivy last year. Regardless, Hewit is a huge reason for optimism in the Tiger camp this year. Backing up Hewit will be highly touted and impressive freshman Nikhil Ashra and junior Evan Magruder, a popular walk-on whose identical twin brother Trent covers the Tigers for the student newspaper.
The 2007 edition of the Princeton men's lacrosse team has the potential to rival any of its predecessors on the defensive end of the field. Couple that with a veteran offense and another infusion of talented freshmen, and Princeton looks ready to contend for a possible 14th Ivy League championship under Tierney, as well as a return to the Final Four for the 11th time.
The 2006 season marked a return to national prominence for Princeton after a one-year absence. After seeing its streaks of 10 straight league titles and 15 straight NCAA tournament appearances come to end the year before, Princeton rebounded for an 11-5 season in 2006 that saw the Tigers earn a share of the Ivy League championship and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Back from that team are six players who have earned All-America honors. All four players who started on attack, seven of the top eight offensive midfielders, three of the top four shortstick defensive midfielders, the top two longstick midfielders, two of the three starters on close defense, the starting goalie and the top three face-off specialists all return this season.
Princeton, ranked fourth by Inside Lacrosse and third by Lacrosse Magazine in the preseason, opens its season Feb. 24, when it hosts Canisius in the first of 13 regular-season games. Testing itself as always, Princeton plays eight of its 13 games against teams ranked in the Top 25 by Inside Lacrosse, as well as four of the top eight.
The Tigers gave up their home game with Johns Hopkins to be part of the inaugural Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic, an event that will pair the Tigers and Blue Jays as the opener of a doubleheader that concludes with Virginia and Syracuse at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on March 3. Princeton (6), Syracuse (5), Virginia (3) and Hopkins (1) have combined to win every NCAA championship since 1992; M&T Bank Stadium will host the 2007 Final Four Memorial Day weekend.
The Tigers head to Charlottesville to take on the defending champion Cavaliers the week after the Baltimore trip, and that is followed by games at Rutgers and Hofstra before a home game against Bellarmine. The Ivy League season opens March 31 at Yale; Princeton's other non-league game is an April 7 showdown with Syracuse at Princeton Stadium.
Princeton's men's lacrosse 2007, position-by-position …
Attack
Starters returning – Peter Trombino (22-18-40), Scott Sowanick (20-18-38, now listed at midfield), Alex Haynie (12 starts, 13-6-19)/Tommy Davis (4 starts, 15-1-16)
Starters lost – none
Other returning letterwinners – Dan Brown (0-0-0), Tommy Firth (0-0-0), Bob Schneider (10-3-13), Tripp Shriner (2-3-5),
Other letterwinners lost – Dom Fuccillo (0-0-0)
Newcomers – Rob Engelke, Sam Hayes, Scott MacKenzie, Ryan Morrell
Peter Trombino returns for his senior year as the only player in program history with at least 20 goals and at least 10 assists as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Trombino, whose overtime goal against Maryland in the 2004 quarterfinals sent Princeton to the Final Four, was an honorable mention All-America a year ago after a 22-goal, 18-assist season that gave him a team-best 40 points, and he was named a preseason second-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse. Junior Alex Haynie started 12 games on attack a year ago, when he scored 13 goals and had six assists. Haynie split time with Tommy Davis, who started four times last year during a freshman season that saw him score 15 goals despite missing six games with a shoulder injury in midseason before retuning to score five goals in two NCAA tournament games. Tripp Shriner, a senior, returns as a veteran lefthanded attackman who plays primarily in extra-man situations. Junior Bob Schneider, who moved between midfield and attack a year ago, was the biggest Tiger on offense a year ago 6-3, 225; this year, it is a much different situation. Among the freshmen on attack are 6-5, 210-pound Scott Mackenzie, 6-4, 225-pound Sam Hayes and 6-3, 215-pound Ryan Morrell. Freshman Rob Engelke, who played well on the extra-man unit in the fall, is also part of the attack picture.
Offensive Midfield
Starters returning – Mark Kovler (18-8-26), Josh Lesko (11-6-17)
Starter lost – Jim O'Brien (7-5-12)
Other returning letterwinners – Michael Biles (0-0-0), Trip Cowin (6-2-8), Mike Gaudio (2-0-2), Whitney Hayes (6-7-13), Rich Sgalardi (1-0-1), Pete Striebel (1-0-1), Jim Weiss (0-0-0)
Other letterwinners lost – Mac Bryson (4-4-8), Erik Kudla (0-0-0), Michael Wenzel (3-2-5)
Newcomers – Paul Barnes, Jimmy Davis, Andy Kittler, David Marshall
Scott Sowanick, who like Trombino has started every game of his career but who has bounced between midfield and attack, may finally settle in as a middie for his senior year. Sowanick, who has 72 points the last two years, was a preseason third-team All-America selection. Sophomore Mark Kovler was Princeton's third-leading scorer a year ago, when his 18 goals and eight assists earned him second-team All-Ivy and honorable mention All-America honors. Kovler, who scored at least one goal in each of the last nine games of the year, had the sixth-highest single-season goal total by a Princeton freshman. Josh Lesko, another sophomore, scored 11 goals and had six assists last year while playing as much on the defensive end as he did on the offensive end. Like Kovler, Lesko was a preseason honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse. Princeton has a host of other experienced midfielders behind those two. Mike Gaudio was Princeton's top scoring threat in the midfield when he tore his ACL against Hopkins last year; before the injury he had scored at least one goal in 13 straight games, which is the longest current streak by a Princeton player. Whitney Hayes has been in the first or second midfield since his freshman year and enters his senior year with 60 career points; Trip Cowin is another player who can play attack or midfield. Depth in the midfield should be a strength, with Biles, Striebel, Sgalardi and Barnes all coming off strong fall seasons while Cowin, Gaudio and Schneider were out with injuries.
Defensive Midfield
Starters returning – Zack Goldberg (3-4-7), Josh Lesko (11-6-17)
Starters lost – Grant Hewit (0-1-1)
Other returning letterwinners – Jeff Izant (0-0-0) Brendan Reilly (0-0-0), Derek Sudan (16 games played)
Other letterwinners lost – none
Newcomers – Chris Chandler
Princeton has had some great shortstick defensive midfielders, and junior Zack Goldberg is the equal of any of them. Goldberg is not only a tremendous defender but also a big transition threat, and he and Josh Lesko give the Tigers perhaps their two fastest players to have played this position under Tierney. Grant Hewit, a captain of last year's team, graduates, but senior Derek Sudan, who has played in every game but one the last two years, and sophomore Brendan Reilly will help pick up the slack caused by Hewit's absence, as will freshman Chris Chandler, who had an outstanding fall while learning how to play this important position.
Longstick midfielder
Returning starters – John Bennett (8GB), Charlie Kolkin (13 GB)
Starters lost – none
Other returning letterwinners – none
Other letterwinners lost – Tony Vita
Newcomers – none
Senior John Bennett has been sharing the longstick midfielder position since the start of his freshman season, and he brings a great deal of experience to the defense. The same is true of sophomore Charlie Kolkin, who played in every game last year and became the featured pole when Bennett was hurt in the late season.
Face-off
Starters returning – Alex Berg (101x210), Mike DeSantis (25x50)
Starters lost –none
Other returning letterwinners – Greg Seaman (7x15)
Other letterwinners lost – Ryan Schoenig (6x9), Hakim Thompson (11x16)
Princeton's leading face-off man of the last two years is back, though it is in the form of two different players. Senior Mike DeSantis, who was the No. 1 two years ago and the No. 2 last year, has won exactly 50% of his draws each of the last two seasons. Junior Alex Berg was No. 2 two years ago and No. 1 last year. Both have had big games in the past: DeSantis won 7 of 12 draws against Harvard to help turn that game, while Berg won 14 of 21 against UMBC in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Sophomore Greg Seaman, the son of Towson coach Tony Seaman, has as good a chance as either Berg or DeSantis to be the No. 1 man this year.
Defense
Starters returning – Dan Cocoziello (3-2-5, 37 GB), Zachary Jungers (29 GB)
Starter lost – Ryan Schoenig (17 GB)
Other returning letterwinners – Dave Baker, Nick Hermandorfer, Tim Novick, Chris Peyser (0-1-1, 8 GB), Will Presti, Peter Trentman
Other letterwinners lost – Mark Schwartz
Newcomers – Jeremy Hirsch
Where exactly do you start with this defense? Princeton allowed 6.56 goals per game a year ago, and even with the loss of starting defenseman Ryan Schoenig, this year's group looks to be better. Senior Zachary Jungers, a third-team All-America a year ago and preseason second-team All-America, is back for his senior year after spending his first two as the No. 1 longstick midfielder and last year as a dominant close defender. Junior Dan Cocoziello was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection and second-team All-America last year, and he is a preseason first-team All-America this time around. Cocoziello, who has started every game of his career, added three goals and two assists in transition to his ability as a top-flight defender; in all, it adds up to perhaps the best defenseman in the country. Sophomore Chris Peyser figures to move into Schoenig's starting spot, though he can also play the pole; Peyser played in every game as a freshman and started when Schoenig played with a shortstick. Freshman Jeremy Hirsch is one of the top defensive recruits in college lacrosse, and he gives even more flexibility to the unit. Will Presti enters his senior year as another defensive option who has seen a good deal of playing time in his career.
Goalie
Starters returning – Alex Hewit (6.49 GAA, .646 save percentage)
Starters lost – none
Other returning letterwinners – Evan Magruder
Other letterwinners lost – Dave Law, Eric Chase
Newcomers – Nikhil Ashra
Junior Alex Hewit joined an elite group of three first-team All-America goalies to play for Bill Tierney; the other two members of the club, Scott Bacigalupo '94 and Trevor Tierney '01, are among the greatest collegiate goalies of all time. Hewit had a 6.49 goals-against average and .646 save percentage last year, and the highlight was his 20-save percentage that held NCAA-champ Virginia to just seven goals, by far its lowest total of the year. Hewit will continue to battle Cornell's Matt McMonagle for the top honors in the league and country: McMonagle was actually first-team All-Ivy last year. Regardless, Hewit is a huge reason for optimism in the Tiger camp this year. Backing up Hewit will be highly touted and impressive freshman Nikhil Ashra and junior Evan Magruder, a popular walk-on whose identical twin brother Trent covers the Tigers for the student newspaper.
Sticks and Stripes - March 4, 2026
Thursday, March 05
Sticks and Stripes - Feb. 18, 2026
Wednesday, February 18
Beyond The Stripes: Chad Palumbo
Thursday, February 12
Sticks and Stripes - Episode 3
Wednesday, May 14