As Practice Begins, A Look At The 2018 Princeton Men's Lacrosse Team

Photo by: Robert Goldstein

As Practice Begins, A Look At The 2018 Princeton Men's Lacrosse Team

February 01, 2018 | Men's Lacrosse

The 2018 Princeton men's lacrosse season has three obvious storylines.

First, there's the defense, which will have its sixth coordinator in six years. Second, there's the "how do you make up for all the things that Zach Currier did last year" issue. Third, there's the question of what Michael Sowers' sophomore year will be like after the impact he had as a freshman.

All of the other questions for 2018 stem from those three.

This will be the second full season with Matt Madalon as the Princeton head coach. His first year saw Princeton nearly double its win total (five to nine), return to the Ivy League tournament and go from 10 goals per game to just under 15, second in Division I only to Albany.

Princeton returns seven starters from that team, though the three that graduated were sort of important ones. There was Currier, whose insane 2017 season featured 24 goals, 34 assists, 130 ground balls, a team-best 21 caused turnovers and a .564 winning percentage on his 202 face-offs. There was Gavin McBride, whose 54 goals in 2017 are the program's single-season record. And there was Bear Goldstein, a four-year starter and first-team All-Ivy defenseman. Beyond those three, Princeton also graduated major contributors like top shortstick defensive middie Sam Gravitte, veteran midfielder Adam Hardej and multi-year close defender and longstick midfielder Alistair Berven.

Even with the rest of the returnees, Princeton will have a much different look in 2018. Starting middie Charlie Durbin will miss the year with a knee injury, opening up another spot on the first offense that needs to be filled. In addition, the incoming freshman class will provide immediate help, especially on defense and in the face-off game.

Princeton will be led by three senior captains: FO/M Sam Bonafede, M Austin Sims and M Riley Thompson.

The schedule has changed considerably. Gone for the first time this century is Hofstra, who had been a mainstay in the early-season lineup since 2000. Back on the schedule is Virginia (in Charlottesville Feb. 24), for the first time in the regular season since 2008. The Tigers will open their season Feb. 17 at home against Monmouth in the first meeting between the two, and there is also a trip in April to first-time opponent Siena.

As practice begins, here is a position-by-position look at the 2018 Tigers:

Attack
Starters returning – So. Michael Sowers (41-41-82, school record for points in a season), Sr. Riley Thompson (18-22-40, will be playing midfield in 2018)
Starters lost – Gavin McBride (54-17-71, school record for goals in a season)
Other letterwinners returning – So. Andrew Boman (0-1-1), Jr. Emmet Cordrey (1-2-3), Jr. Carter Flaig (1-2-3), Sr. Greg Merrill (injured, did not play in 2017 and will not play in 2018), So. Phillip Robertson (3-0-3)
Other letterwinners lost – Bear Altemus (1-1-2), Sean Connors (4-1-5)
Newcomers – Carter Zavitz

Every discussion about Princeton men's lacrosse now starts with the remarkable Michael Sowers, as good a player as there is in Division I. The 2017 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-Ivy League selection as freshman, Sowers destroyed the Princeton record book in his first year, and if you consider all of the great players who have ever played here before him, that's even more remarkable. His 82 points are the school single-season record, and he is the only player in Princeton history and one of five in Ivy history to have at least 40 goals and 40 assists in a season – and he did it as a freshman. Sowers makes everyone around him better, and the challenge this year will be to do it with two new faces next to him on attack. Gavin McBride graduated after he broke Jesse Hubbard's 21-year-old school record with 54 goals in a season, and Riley Thompson – a veteran scorer and captain this year – will probably play through the midfield. So who will be out there with Sowers? Among the contenders are sophomores Andrew Bowman and Phillip Robertson, who played sparingly as freshmen, and junior Emmet Cordrey.

Offensive midfield
Starters returning – So. Charlie Durbin (18-4-22, will miss 2018 season due to injury), Sr. Austin Sims (27-9-36)
Starters lost – Zach Currier (24-34-58, 130 GB)
Other letterwinners returning – Sr. Sam Bonafede (0-0-0), Sr. Alexander Fish (did not play in 2017), So. Jeffers Guthrie (0-0-0), Sr. Braedon Gait (1-0-1), So. Connor McCarthy (4-1-5), Jr. Dawson McKenzie (9-3-12), Sr. Drew O'Connell (injured in 2017), Jr. Strib Walker (0-0-0)
Other letterwinners lost – Matt Brophy (0-0-0), Adam Hardej (11-2-13)
Newcomers – Jamie Atkinson, Chris Brown, Luke Crimmins

When you think of Zach Currier, you think of the all-around game and the energy. You think of the ground balls that he gets through sheer will. You even think of the way he muscles his way to the goal. What you don't necessarily think of are the assists. Currier, for everything else he brought to Princeton, had 34 assists as a middie last year. That's more than Tom Schreiber ever had in a season as a Tiger, and that's saying a whole lot. In other words, Currier made an impact basically everywhere last year, and replacing him is impossible. Charlie Durbin, who also started last year and put up 18 goals with four assists, will miss the 2018 season due to a knee injury. So where does that leave Princeton? Well, it starts in a really good place, with senior captain Austin Sims, who scored 27 goals and had nine assists last year despite missing five games due to injury. Sims had back-to-back six-goal games, against Johns Hopkins and Quinnipiac. When healthy, Sims can shoot it with anyone in college lacrosse, and he is a major weapon. Riley Thompson will be in his third year as a starter, and he will probably play midfield instead of attack. He is a proven, reliable scorer. Junior Dawson McKenzie has considerable experience on attack, at midfield and man-up. Freshman Chris Brown had a very impressive fall, and he could step in as well, though he could also play attack. In fact, almost any of the offensive middies could also play attack. Sam Bonafede, the third captain, has been mostly a FOGO during his first three years, but he could see time as an offensive midfielder. So could fellow senior Braedon Gait. Strib Walker has been a shortstick D middie, but he is moving to play offense as well.

Shortstick defensive midfield
Starters returning – Sr. J.T. Caputo (15GB, 4CT), Jr. Mike Morean (3-0-3, 28GB, 3CT), So. Chase Williams (0-1-1, 22GB, 5CT)
Starters lost – Sam Gravitte
Other letterwinners returning – So. Jasper Arnold, So. Luke Pascucci, So. Zack Struckman.
Other letterwinners lost - none
Newcomers – none

The crucial shortstick defensive middie position should be one of Princeton's strengths in 2018, as it was a year ago. Princeton returns three of its top four from a year ago, and their challenge this year is to make up for some of the 161 ground balls and 31 caused turnovers that the graduated Zach Currier and Sam Gravitte had between them in 2017. Junior Mike Morean has been a first-line SSDM from Day 1, and his quickness and ability in the transition game has often turned defense to offense. Senior J.T. Caputo had a big junior year, when he established himself as a strong defender who can also start transition. Sophomore Chase Williams came out of nowhere – well, not nowhere, but over from the football team – to have a major impact as the only SSDM to play in all 15 games last year. Williams, a defensive back in the fall, made himself right at home immediately in lacrosse as well. Luke Pascucci is a converted longstick who will play SSDM this year.

Longstick midfield
Starters returning – So. Nick Bauer (19GB, 3CT), Jr. Charlie Tarry (4GB, 3CT)
Starters lost – Alistair Berven (9GB, 4CT)
Other letterwinners returning - none
Other letterwinners lost – none
Newcomers – George Baughan, Andrew Song

It gets complicated when trying to figure out who is going to be a longstick midfielder and who is going to play close defense. One thing is sure – Princeton will get an immediate lift from its freshman poles. Among those freshmen, look for George Baughan and Andrew Song to get into the rotation very quickly. Nick Bauer, a sophomore, is back after being the No. 1 LSM and one of two longsticks to play every game last year, and with his combination of size, speed and stick skills, he again figures to see the field quite a bit. Charlie Tarry, a junior, has played LSM and close defense and been the starter at both.

Close defense
Starters returning – So. Arman Medghalchi (24GB, 14CT), Sr. Daniel Winschuh (23GB, 7CT)
Starters lost – Bear Goldstein (34GB, 17CT)
Other letterwinners returning – Jr. Aran Roberts, So. David Sturtz
Other letterwinners lost - none
Newcomers – Jordan Crissy, Owen Engel, Terrell Seabrooks, Mick Upchurch

Bear Goldstein graduated after starting every game but one the last four years and earning first-team All-Ivy honors as a senior. Daniel Winschuh, the other longstick to play in every game last year (starting all 15 on close defense), and Arman Medghalchi are the two returning starters. Winschuh is a physical presence down low who had some big moments last year against top attackmen, and Medghalchi is another quick pole who can play close defense or up top against middies. Aran Roberts was a starter as a freshman in 2015 before missing almost all of the last two years with injuries. There are six freshmen poles, several of whom will be asked to play right away.

Goalie
Starter returning – Sr. Tyler Blaisdell (11.48 GAA, .532 save percentage)
Starters lost - none
Other letterwinners returning – So. Jon Levine (10.05 GAA, .579 save percentage), Jr. Oliver Schmickel
Other letterwinners lost - none
Newcomers – Ben Churchill, Erik Peters

Tyler Blaisdell is a senior who was the first-team All-Ivy League goalie last year. He has also been the starter since midway through his freshman year. Blaisdell this year finds himself pushed by an army of goalies, including sophomore Jon Levine, who was strong a year ago in limited time as the No. 2, and a pair of talented freshmen, Ben Churchill and Erik Peters.

Face-off
Starters returning – Sr. Sam Bonafede
Starters lost – Zach Currier, Sam Gravitte
Other letterwinners returning – So. Ralph Chrappa, So. Philip Thompson
Other letterwinners lost – Jack O'Brien
Newcomer – Jack-Henry Vara

The face-off position is fairly wide open entering the 2018 season. Zach Currier, among everything else he did, was a nearly 57 percent face-off specialist. Even when he didn't win immediate control, there was nobody more relentless at taking it away than Currier. Sam Gravitte also faced-off, and the two of them combined for 265 of Princeton's 438 face-offs. Sam Bonafede, a senior captain, took 84 of them last year before his season ended with a knee injury; Bonafede, who may play offensive midfield, has taken 505 career face-offs heading into this season. Sophomore Ralph Chrappa took 75 face-offs last year, and his classmate Philip Thompson can also face-off. Freshman Jack-Henry Vara will get a long look as well.