Princeton University Athletics
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Princeton Heads To Long Island To Take On No. 12 Hofstra
February 25, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
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A year ago, the Princeton-Hofstra men's lacrosse game was played in a driving blizzard that eventually covered the field in nearly a half-foot of snow. Also a year ago, Hofstra ended the season at 5-9.
This year, the forecast is much better, for both the weather and the Pride. The call is for sunshine on game day and apparently bluer skies for Hofstra in 2016, if early results are an indication.
While Princeton was defeating newcomer NJIT 21-4 last Saturday, Hofstra was opening its season with a decisive 10-5 win over North Carolina, a win that vaulted the Pride from being unranked to being No. 12 in the media poll and No. 13 in the coaches' poll. It was a result that certainly got the attention of the Tigers, who now enter what looks like something of a minefield for the next, oh, rest of the season.
Princeton will play at Hofstra, followed by a game at Johns Hopkins (No. 8, Final Four a year ago), home against Maryland (No. 4, NCAA finalist a year ago) and then home two days later against Rutgers (2-0, receiving votes).
Beyond that it's six games in the Ivy League, as well as two other non-league games, against Lehigh (also receiving votes) and Stony Brook (No. 19).
If you're adding all that up, Princeton's last 12 games feature four teams currently in the top 10, three others ranked 11-20 and then four more receiving votes. That's 11 of 12 opponents.
Yes, that's a tough gauntlet. On the other hand, it's the chance for quality wins pretty much every time out.
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Princeton and Hofstra meet for the 30th time, and Princeton holds a 16-13 edge in the series. The teams have met every year since 2000, and Princeton is 12-4 in those games, including 5-1 under Chris Bates - with five straight wins.
Princeton and Hofstra first met in 1972 and then played each of the following three years as well. After that, the series resumed in 1984 and continued until 1993, except in 1992.
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Princeton defeated NJIT 21-4 in its opener last Saturday. In that game there were 12 different players who scored at least one goal, including eight who scored the first goal of their career. Of those eight, four were freshmen.
Princeton had four other players with no goals but one assist, meaning 16 different players had at least one point in the game.
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Gavin McBride had an assist against NJIT, running his streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 16, the longest current streak by a Princeton player. McBride had no points as a freshman and then had 37 (24G, 13A) as a sophomore.
McBride has moved from midfield to attack for this season.
The longest current streak of consecutive games with at least one goal by a Princeton player is three, by Zach Currier.
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Zach Currier scored Princeton's first three goals of the season, and he finished the first quarter of the season with three goals and two assists. Despite not playing much of the second half, Currier finished with career highs of four goals, three assists and seven points against NJIT.
Currier had three goals and two assists in Princeton's 14-12 win over Hofstra a year ago.
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Zach Currier took all 43 face-offs in Princeton's two Ivy League tournament games a year ago. He did not take a face-off against NJIT.
Sam Bonafede went 6 for 10 on face-offs against NJIT, and freshman Charlie Durbin went 7 for 10 against NJIT. Between them they had three goals (Durbin two, Bonafede 1).
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Ryan Ambler and Zach Currier are two of the 50 men's players on the Tewaaraton Trophy watchlist. Additional players can be added as the year goes along, and the list will then be cut to 25 on April 28.
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Ryan Ambler has 59 goals and 68 assists, leaving him 20th all-time at Princeton in points (127) and 12th all-time in assists.
With one more goal, he'd become the 11th player in program history with at least 60 career goals and 60 career assists. Beyond that, there have been six 70-70 players in program history.
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Princeton graduated Mike MacDonald (48G, 30A, school-record 78 points in 2015) and Kip Orban (45 goals in 2015, school-record for middies).
MacDonald and Orban combined for 93 of Princeton's 180 goals last year, or 52%.
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Princeton has four preseason All-Americas, according to Face-Off Yearbook.
Zach Currier was a second-team selection, while Ryan Ambler, Bear Goldstein and Gavin McBride were all honorable mention selections.
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Princeton has four captains this season: Ryan Ambler, Bear Goldstein, Matt O'Connor and Austin deButts.
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Steve Grossi joined the Princeton staff as its defensive coordinator this past off-season. He is the fourth D coordinator in four years, after Greg Raymond (left to become the head coach at Hobart), John Walker (had to give up coaching due to a back injury) and Dyland Sheridan (left to become the head coach at Cleveland State).
Grossi came to Princeton from St. Joe's, where his defense ranked fifth in Division I in scoring defense. The Hawks were also ranked first in man-down defense, allowing 12 goals in 60 chances (.200).
Princeton allowed 33 extra-man goals in 64 chances a year ago (.516), including 5 of 7 against Hofstra. NJIT was 2 for 8 extra-man last week, when Hofstra went 1 for 4 against North Carolina.
* * *
ONE LINERS
Bear Altemus – juior with a year of experience on the second midfield line who missed NJIT game
John Alvarez – freshman backup goalie who played final 4:51 against NJIT with no saves or goals-against
Ryan Ambler - senior captain, fourth-year starter on attack, MLL draftee and Tewaaraton watchlist selection whose two goals and three assists against NJIT moved him to 12th all-time at Princeton in assists (68) and 20th all-time at Princeton in points (127)
Alistair Berven – veteran who can play defense or longstick midfield after starting nine games on D a year ago and starting on D against NJIT, with a ground ball and caused turnover
Tyler Blaisdell – made seventh career start in goal in the opener against NJIT, with three saves and three goals-against in a little less than three quarters
Sam Bonafede – won 6 of 10 face-offs and had his first career goal in the win against NJIT and won 11 of 23 face-offs against Hostra a year ago
Matt Brophy – will miss the season due to injury
Luke Brugger – senior who can play longstick midfield
J.T. Caputo – two-way middie who had a goal and assist against NJIT for his first two career points
Sean Connors – started 10 games on attack last year, when he scored 10 goals, but is playing midfield this year
Emmet Cordrey – freshman high school All-America who had two goals in his first collegiate game
Zach Currier – preseason second-team All-America and Tewaaraton watchlist selection who can do pretty much anything necessary to impact a game, offensively, defensively, facing off and playing on the face-off wings; he had career highs of four goals, three assists (tied career high) and seven points in the win over NJIT
Austin deButts – captain and top shortstick defensive middie who led the team in caused turnovers a year ago had his first career point with an assist against NJIT
Charlie Durbin – won 7 of 10 face-offs and scored two goals in his first collegiate game
Alexander Fish – offensive middie who walked on a year ago
Carter Flaig – leading scorer all-time at St. Paul's had a goal and assist against NJIT
Braedon Gait – sophomore middie who had his first career goal against NJIT
Bear Goldstein – junior captain who is the only player on the team who has started every game of his career
Sam Gravitte – will play defense or longstick midfield and the face-off on the wings after playing a ton of minutes a year ago as the LSM; had an assist against NJIT as a starting defenseman
Adam Hardej – starting middie who had one goal against NJIT
Gavin McBride – had an assist against NJIT as a starter on attack after having 24 goals and 13 assists last year, when he was the only player on the team with at least one point in every game as a middie
Dawson McKenzie – freshman who started at midfield against NJIT and had two goals
Greg Merrill – will miss the season due to injury
Mike Morean – freshman shortstick D middie who had an assist and caused turnover against NJIT
Jack O'Brien – face-off man who won the gray T-shirt with the Spartan Shield after the preseason conditioning program
Drew O'Connell – offensive middie who has worked through injuries
Matt O'Connor – senior captain who has started 16 games in goal in his career and had four saves without allowing a goal in 10:17 against NJIT
Will Reynolds – returned as LSM after missing the final 14 games a year ago due to injury and starting as a freshman on D
Aran Roberts – started 13 games on D a year ago but will miss 2016 due to injury
Oliver Schmickel – freshman backup goalie who played 4:58 against NJIT
Austin Sims – sophomore who made the U.S. U-19 team, he had his first career goal, as well as a team-best six ground balls, in the win over NJIT
Mark Strabo – returns to the starting defense this year after starting every game on D his first two years and then missing almost all of last year after getting injured in the opener
Charlie Tarry – freshman longstick
Riley Thompson – Canadian who had three goals and two assists in his first start on attack in the NJIT game after playing midfield a year ago
Strib Walker – freshman who will play shortstick D middie and had two ground balls against NJIT
Bobby Weaver - two-way middie who was one of the top shortstick D middies a year ago
Dylan White – senior defenseman who is in his first year with the lacrosse team after playing four years of football
Daniel Winschuh – could see time as a longstick midfielder
GAME BY GAME
NJIT (W, 21-4)
GOALS - Currier 4, Thompson 3, Ambler 2, McKenzie 2, Durbin 2, Cordrey 2, Sims 1, Bonafede 1, Flaig 1, Caputo 1, Gait 1, Hardej 1
ASSISTS - Ambler 3, Currier 3, Thompson 2, McBride 1, Morean 1, Gravitte 1, deButts 1, McKenzie 1, Flaig 1, Caputo 1
GOALIES - Blaisdell (39:54 min, 3 goals-against, 3 saves),
O'Connor (10:17, 0 goals-against, 4 saves), Schmickel (4:58, 1 goal-against, 0 saves, Alvarez 4:51, 0 goals-against, 0 saves)