Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
No. 12 Princeton Heads To New Haven For 94th Meeting With Yale
March 22, 2012 | Men's Lacrosse
So far this year, it's also the dominating theme for Princeton men's lacrosse.
Through its first six games, Princeton has played five teams that it played in 2011. In those five games, the team that lost last year is 4-1 this year.
In fact, that stat is probably the best part of having a bad year last year.
Princeton defeated Johns Hopkins last year. This year? Hopkins beat Princeton.
Princeton lost to Hofstra, Villanova and Penn last year. This year? Princeton has beaten all of them.
The only team that won last year and this year is North Carolina, and that game came very close to making it a 5-0 trend.
The other game for Princeton to date was against Manhattan, an opponent not on last year's schedule.
Will the trend continue this week when the Tigers travel to New Haven to take on Yale?
If it does, it'll feel especially good for Princeton, whose loss to the Bulldogs at Class of 1952 Stadium last year was as devastating as any during the long season.
Princeton led Yale 6-2 in the third quarter before the Bulldogs rallied, eventually forcing overtime on Deron Dempster's goal with 1:03 to play and then winning it when Brandan Mangan bounced one off the far pipe and into the goal with 33 seconds gone in overtime to win 8-7.
More than any other loss in 2011, the one to Yale set Princeton into a hole that it could not get out of, as it dropped Princeton to 0-2 in the league and in come-from-behind mode for an Ivy tournament bid that ultimately was not to be.
This year, Princeton won its Ivy opener, defeating Penn 11-4 on Sherrerd Field last week. Yale, on the other hand, lost its first league game, in tough fashion, falling by one to No. 4 Cornell.
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Princeton and Yale first met on Oct. 14, 1882. Princeton and Yale have played 93 times; Princeton has played Yale more than any other opponent.
Princeton leads the series 70-21-2.
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Princeton leads the Ivy League and ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 7.33 goals per game. Yale ranks second in the Ivy League and 12th nationally in scoring offense, scoring 11.6 goals per game.
Princeton is third in the Ivy League and 16th in Division I at 11.0 goals per game.
Yale's scoring offense has gone from 10.93 to 11.6 from last year to this year.
Princeton's has gone up from 7.1 to 11.0 from last year to this year.
Princeton averages 11.0 goals per game this year. A year ago, Princeton reached 11 goals in only one game (vs. Rutgers).
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Princeton ranks fifth in Division I in fewest turnovers per game at 13.33.
A year ago, Princeton turned the ball over only 13.5 times per game.
So what does it mean?
Princeton averages 38 shots per game through six games this year after averaging 31.9 shots per game last year. If the turnover numbers are the same, then where are the extra shots coming from?
Partly, they're coming from shooting more and regaining possession after backing up the misses. And partly, they're coming from extra possessions off face-offs.
Last year, Princeton won 40.7% of its face-offs and won 87 total face-offs for the year, the lowest total in Division I.
This year, with the same face-off group of Bobby Lucas, Jeff Froccaro and Peter Smyth, Princeton has won 53% of its face-offs.
Princeton averaged 7.4 won face-offs per game last year. The Tigers are averaging 11.5 face-off wins per game this year.
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You can't talk about a Princeton-Yale game without talking about face-offs.
Yale has won 102 of the 150 face-offs against Princeton in the last eight meetings for a total of 68%.
Princeton has not had an advantage in face-off wins in any of those eight games.
Yale ranks second in the Ivy League (behind Cornell) and 12th in Division I in face-off winning percentage (.580).
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Tom Schreiber is averaging 2.17 assists per game this season.
The last Princeton player to average that many per game for an entire season was Ryan Boyle, who averaged 2.93 per game for the 2004 season.
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Princeton, through six games, has already eclipsed last year's season total in assists.
In 2011, Princeton had 40 assists in 12 games.
This year, Princeton has 47 in six.
Of Princeton's 66 goals this year, 47 have been assisted, for a percentage of .712. Last year, Princeton had 40 assists on 85 goals, a percentage of .471.
And, when talking about Princeton and assists in 2012, there's Will Himler, who has exactly one assist in every game this year.
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Princeton has allowed the fewest extra-man goals in Division I, having given up just two (tied with Hofstra and Notre Dame), one to Manhattan and one to Penn.
Opponents are 2 for 14 on EMOs against Princeton.
Yale ranks 45th in Division I in EMO percentage.
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Princeton has the current Ivy League Player of the Week (co-player, at least) in Jeff Froccaro, who had a seven-goal, three-assist week in the wins over Villanova Penn.
Froccaro, the only offensive player who started every game last season, has already matched his 2011 point total of 16 (13G, 3A last year, 12G, 4A this year) in just six games.
Princeton also has the Ivy Rookie of the Week in Mike MacDonald, who had three goals and three assists (3G, 2A of which came against Penn). MacDonald was honored for the second time this season.
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Tom Schreiber is on pace to finish the 13-game regular season with 30 goals and 28 assists. Should Princeton play one game into the Ivy tournament and Schreiber maintain his current averages, he would have 32.7 goals and 30.3 assists.
Only one player in school history - David Tickner, who had 34 goals and 32 assists in 1976 - has ever had a 30/30 season for Princeton lacrosse.
There have been 33 20/20 seasons, most recently by Ryan Boyle in 2004.
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Tucker Shanley is the only Princeton player to have at least one goal in every game this season.
Tom Schreiber has at least three points in every game this season. Schreiber, Shanley and Will Himler are the only players with at least one point in every game.
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Princeton's Chad Wiedmaier is also one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, which recognizes excellence in what is termed the 4C's of character, competition, classroom and community.
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What Can You Say About ...
Luke Armour #16
• has been slowed all season by injury
• had two assists against Manhattan
• played in every game last year, starting seven
• was fourth on the team with 14 points (9G, 5A)
Alex Capretta #1
• starting at midfield
• has 11 points in six games this year; had 10 points his first three years combined
• had a career-high four points against UNC while tying his career high with three goals
• had a goal and assist against Villanova
• had three assists against Hofstra after having two for his first three years combined
• had a goal against Hopkins
Rob Castelo #4
• has six caused turnovers
• had two caused turnovers and two ground balls against Hopkins
• had a caused turnover and four ground balls against UNC
• had three ground balls and a caused turnover against Manhattan
• had one caused turnover and one ground ball against Hofstra
• returned healthy this season after missing final 10.5 games last year with a torn ACL against Johns Hopkins
John Cunningham #3
• tied for team lead with 20 ground balls
• top longstick midfielder, as well as a wing man on face-offs
• team captain for the second straight year
• preseason third-team All-America selection by Inside Lacrosse for the second straight year
• 2011 second-team All-Ivy League
• 2010 honorable mention All-Ivy League selection
• selected by the Denver Outlaws in the Major League Lacrosse draft with the 46th pick
• has six career goals and eight career points
• tied for second on the team in caused turnovers a year ago
Hunter DeButts #47
• has not yet played due to injury
• could play attack or midfield
• had first extended playing time of his career last year in the game against Syracuse
• had first career point with an assist against the Orange
Mark Feild #25
• plays on the man-up unit
• had a goal against Manhattan
• was injured most of his first two seasons but was healthy last year, when he played mostly extra man
Nick Fernandez #24
• starter at shortstick defensive midfield
• had four ground balls and a caused turnover against Manhattan
• had a ground ball and caused turnover against Hofstra
• had three injuries in 2011 - ankle sprain, concussion, broken arm
Tyler Fiorito #6
• preseason second-team All-America for the second straight year
• unanimous first-team All-Ivy League and third-team All-America last year
• entered week eighth in Division I in goals-against (7.40)
• second in Division I in save percentage and eighth in goals-against as a junior
• selected 10th in the Major League Lacrosse draft (Chesapeake Bayhawks)
• first-team All-Ivy and second-team All-America as a sophomore
• honorable mention All-America as a freshman
Mike Flanagan #34
• started two games last year on close defense
• plays extensively on man-down defensive unit
Jeff Froccaro #18
• starting on attack after playing as a midfielder first two years
• second on team with 12 goals and 16 points
• Ivy League co-Player of the Week after wins over Villanova and Penn
• had career-highs with five goals and seven points while tying career high with two assists against Villanova
• had two goals and an assist and won 4 of 6 face-offs against Penn
• had two goals against Hopkins; also won 5 of 6 face-offs
• had two goals against Hofstra
• had a goal and assist against Manhattan
• leads all active Princeton players with 38 career goals and is second for career lead with 51 career points
Mike Grossman #8
• had a career-high four points against Hopkins (2G, 2A)
• also had first multi-goal game of his career
• had a goal and assist against Hofstra and Manhattan
• started every game on attack
• has started on attack and midfield in his career
Will Himler #18
• has one assist in each of the first six games while playing on second midfield
• three of his six assists have been to Tom Schreiber
• had first career point with an assist against Hofstra on a goal by Tom Schreiber that snapped a three-goal Hofstra run and made it 7-5
• had second career point with assist against Manhattan, also on a Schreiber goal
• last game of high school career at Chaminade was an overtime loss to Schreiber's team (St. Anthony's)
Cliff Larkin #19
• started 10 games on attack a year ago
• has missed the first five games with an injury
Bobby Lucas #17
• has won 41 of 75 face-offs (54.7%); won 46.2% of face-offs last year and 52.1% as a freshman
• won 10 of 16 face-offs against Hofstra and had four ground balls and a caused turnover
• won 5 of 9 against Penn
• won 9 of 18 against Villanova
• won 5 of 7 face-offs against Manhattan
• also playing shortstick defensive midfield
Mike McDonald #26
• has started every game on attack
• two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week
• had three goals and two assists against Penn to earn Ivy honor for second time
• named Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Week after Week 1 win over Hofstra
• had three goals on four shots against Hofstra in first collegiate game
• had a goal against North Carolina
• had a goal against Manhattan
• had first career assist, in the game against Villanova
Jonathan Meyers #28
• starter on defense
• second on the team with 19 ground balls and eight CT
• had three caused turnovers and three ground balls against Penn
• had six grounds ball and a caused turnover against Hopkins
• had three ground balls and a caused turnovers against UNC
• had first career point with a 50-yard pass to Jeff Froccaro against Manhattan
• also had two caused turnovers and four grounds balls against Jaspers
• missed three games last year due to injury
• has started on defense and at longstick midfield
• started six games a year ago
Kip Orban #13
• freshman playing in the second midfield
• had first career two-goal game in the Konica Minolta Face-off Classic against North Carolina
• had a goal and assist against Villanova
• had first career points with a goal and assist vs. Manhattan
Derick Raabe #5
• is the No. 2 LSM behind John Cunningham
• started two games at close defense last year
• has primarily played longstick midfield
Eric Sanschagrin #31
• made 11 saves while allowing five goals in first collegiate start, against Manhattan
Tom Schreiber #22
• preseason first-team All-America
• 2011 Ivy League Rookie of the Year
• first-team All-Ivy League selection
• leads team in goals (14) and assists (13)
• entered the week tied for fifth in Division I in points per game and 10th in Division I in assists per game
• is second in the league (behind Cornell's Rob Pannell) in assists per game and points per game
• has at least three points in every game
• leads active players in career points (56) and assists (26)
• had a career-high five goals against Villanova
• had a career-high seven points againstHofstra (3G, 4A)
• Ivy League Player of the Week after win over Hofstra
• had four goals and an assist against Manhattan
• had a goal and two assists against Hopkins
• had three assists against UNC
• led team in goals and assists last year (first player to do so since Justin Tortolani in 1990)
• father Doug, who played at Maryland and won an NCAA title there in 1973 and then the 1974 World Championship with the U.S., is a member of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame
Tucker Shanley #7
• starting on first midfield
• has 10 goals this year in six games after having six all last year
• is the only Princeton player with at least one goal in every game this year
• had two goals and an assist against Villanova
• had two goals against Penn
• had two goals against Manhattan
• had two goals against Hofstra
• had one goal against Hopkins
• had a goal and first two career assists - as well as a career-best three points - against North Carolina
• had two goals, including the game-winner in the fourth overtime, against Brown last year
Peter Smyth #14
• has won 19 of 41 face-offs
• won 10 of 16 against Manhattan
• won 36.7% a year ago
Forest Sonnenfeldt #2
• had one goal in first three games before missing the UNC game due to injury
• returned with an assist against Villanova
• also had a goal against Penn
• had an extra man goal against Hofstra and Manhattan
• had 10 goals a year ago
• could play attack or midfield
Jack Strabo #35
• first-line shortstick defensive middie
• has seven ground balls and two caused turnovers
• had a goal against North Carolina
• had first two career points with a goal and assist against Manhattan
Chris White #29
• moved from offense to defensive middie a year ago and will play there again this year
• had a goal against Penn
• had an assist against Villanova
• had a caused turnover against Manhattan
Chad Wiedmaier #9
• leads team with 10 caused turnovers
• had three caused turnovers against Hopkins
• had two caused turnovers against Villanova
• No. 7 pick in the MLL draft (Hamilton Nationals)
• preseason first-team All-America
• three-time first-team All-Ivy League selection (no Princeton player and only one Ivy League player have ever been four-time first-team All-Ivy)
• two-time second-team All-America; third-team All-America last year
• one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class Award
• active with Fields of Growth and spent four weeks last summer in Uganda