January 25, 2010

Lacrosse Magazine has put the finishing touches on its 2010 college preview issue, which mailed US Lacrosse members the first week of February. LM canvassed rival coaches to give us their anonymous take on the top 10 preseason ranked teams for Division I men's and women's lacrosse.

WD1: 10 Princeton | 9 UND | 8 UVA | 7 SU | 6 Georgetown | 5 Duke | 4 Penn | 3 UNC | 2 UMD | 1 Northwestern

Scouting Report: No. 7 Princeton

Behind a young Princeton defense, goalie Tyler Fiorito can ill afford a sophomore slump.

HEAD COACH: Chris Bates
CONFERENCE: Ivy League
2009 RECORDS: 13-3, 5-1
2010 SCHEDULE: Click Here

WHO'S BACK

D Chad Wiedmaier (So.)
Second-team All-American (team-high 24 caused turnovers) steps into a leadership role in just his second season. One of the best cover guys in the country.
G Tyler Fiorito (So.)
Looks to avoid sophomore slump that has befallen other goalies who star as freshmen. Quick hands and outlet passes will complement Bates' preference for transition.
A Jack McBride (Jr.)
Leading returning scorer (35g, 7a) and player of the year candidate will have to contend with more defensive attention.
D Jeremy Hirsch (Sr.)
Sole captain of the Tigers. Must lead a defense that is young overall. Said Bates: “He doesn’t wow you with his athleticism, but he understands our defensive schemes. He’s as valuable as anyone we have.”
M Scott MacKenzie (Sr.)
Enjoyed breakthrough season in ‘09 with 13 goals, 16 assists. Tigers will use him more as a two-way middie this year. Must step up leadership in midfield.

WHO'S NOT

A Tommy Davis
Was able to keep defenses honest. Minus this threat (27g, 17a) and legitimate threats from the midfield, will they just crush McBride?
M Mark Kovler
Stretched defenses with his ability to bring heat from outside.
M Rich Sglardi
Shined in NCAA tournament and was team's top feeders (24a). Look for MacKenzie to step into that role, wheeling and dealing from up top.
D Chris Peyser
Was the voice of reason on a young defense. Now, Fiorito and Wiedmaier need to assume leadership roles.

WHO'S NEW

M Mike Chanenchuk
After deferring enrollment for a year due to injury, could make his way to the head of Tigers' freshman class as they try to revamp the midfield.
M Jeff Frocaro
The No. 14-ranked incoming freshman in the country, according to Inside Lacrosse, is the nephew of Hall of Famer Vinnie Sombrotto and plays with a similar chip on his shoulder. Another potential impact middie.

X FACTOR

Will the players recruited and trained in the Bill Tierney regime adjust to Chris Bates' new schemes, or is rebuilding in the works? Replacing the Dean Smith of lacrosse is no enviable task.

RIVAL COACHES' TAKES

"The losses at the offensive end will be noticeable, but the defense will keep them in games."

"Great goalie and defense. Very good attack. Lost a lot of talent in the midfield. Can they replace Kovler and Sglardi at midfield and Davis at attack?"

"New staff, new philosophies, new culture."

"Fiorito can take a team a long ways, McBride is good on attack and they return very good defenders. Their midfielders are not as well-known, but talented."

"Who knows? I think the people are there. The new coach — are they going to change the system? That one’s a question mark. I think the people are there and they started to open up things offensively (last year)."

"The goalie had a great start last year as a freshman, probably like all goalies he’s going into his sophomore year and he’s going to be better.

"Any time you have a new coach it remains to be seen. Will they momentarily lose something if they change styles and get better as the year goes on? Who knows?"

"They’re extremely talented. Chris Bates is where we were last year, implementing his system and seeing if things change."

"My biggest question about them is between the boxes [midfield]. And anytime you lose a coach like Bill Tierney, no matter who is there, you’ve got a tough coaching job."