Princeton Guns Give Bates Win in Shootout
by Bob Nuse | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online | Live Blog
PRINCETON, N.J. -- It didn't take long to
realize times have changed at Princeton University.
The Tigers scored three goals in a little more than three minutes
to start the game, then closed the game by scoring three of the
last four goals to beat Hofstra, 17-14, at Class of 1952 Stadium on
Saturday in the debut of new head coach Chris Bates.
Bates took over for Bill Tierney, who led the Tigers to six
national championships before leaving to become the head coach at
Denver.
Princeton has a new look on the sidelines and on the field. But
don't expect this kind of shootout to become the norm for a program
that had been traditionally built around its defense.
"I was a little scared," said Princeton senior Rob Engelke, who
had a goal and four assists to help the Tigers open the season with
a win. "I can't tell you the last time we scored 17 goals. This
gives us a lot of confidence, especially for our young offense.
We're playing with two freshmen and a sophomore in the midfield. So
just to give them the confidence that we can score that many goals
is nice. I don't think this is the way it will be all year --
our defense is too strong for it to be like that."
Princeton scored 18 goals in a win over Albany last year, but has
always been known more for its defense. That changed in the opener
against Hofstra, although Princeton scored most of its goals in
settled situations.
"We'll take 17 goals, that's for sure," said Bates, whose team
faces Johns Hopkins in Baltimore next Saturday. "I didn't think we
rushed things. I thought we were pretty patient and we didn't turn
the ball over a whole lot. We created some unsettled situations,
which we're trying to take advantage of."
Chris McBride scored four goals to lead the Tigers, while freshman
Jeff Froccaro added three. Jamie Lincoln, a transfer from Denver,
who scored three goals, led Hofstra. Mike DeNapoli had three goals,
while Jay Card and Stephen Bentz both had two goals and two
assists.
Princeton led, 7-3, only to see Hofstra come back to tie the game
with four straight goals in the second quarter. The Tigers then
closed out the half with two goals to build a 9-7 lead. But when
the Pride scored the first three goals of the second half, the
Tigers were in a 10-9 hole. Princeton scored five of the next six
goals to go up, 14-11, and never let the lead slip away.
Princeton played without its top defender in Chad Wiedmaier, but
got contributions from players throughout the lineup to make up for
his absence due to a knee injury.
"We've been without him for a while," Bates said. "When you go
without Chad and then Jeremy (Hirsch) goes down, that's not easy. I
thought John Cunningham played well. I thought Long Ellis played
well. I thought Jonathan Meyers played well. I thought Derek Styer
and Rob Castelo stepped up and played big minutes. Our short-stick
defensive middies did a nice job.
"I don't think Tyler (Fiorito) will tell you he played his best
game in goal. But he gives you a peace of mind that he is going to
make the big saves you need and he gives you a sense of calm that
you need to have."
Engelke was another player who came through in a big spot. He's
been a part-time player for three years, but came through in his
new starting role. He scored once and had four assists in the last
18 minutes of the game.
"It's nice," said Engelke, a Garden City, N.Y. resident. "I've
been patient with my time. I've been a role player for three years,
so now it is nice to get into the starting lineup and try to
contribute as much as I can. I have been playing all four years,
mostly on man-up, so I have been in every game. But not in this big
of a role."
A senior playing his first game for a new head coach, Engelke was
just happy to be a part of making Bates' debut a success.
"I'm happy, especially for the coaches," Engelke said. "They've
been thinking about this game since the summer. So it is nice to
finally get on the field and to win like this is just awesome.
"Tierney has been here since the dawn of age, so for a change like
this it is huge for Princeton lacrosse. But he has done everything
right. I am a big fan of Chris Bates. He has not made any mistakes
and I think he is going about it the right way."
For Bates, getting the first game as Princeton's head coach is a
welcome relief. He's been the focus of quite a bit of attention
since taking over for Tierney.
"I appreciate that and I welcome that," Bates said. "It's part of
who I am and the responsibility in this job. But it is about these
guys and I am most happy for these guys. They have worked hard and
the payoff is a game-day win."
