PREVIEW: Crimson Hoping 16 Will Be Lucky Number

Last year, the Harvard men’s lacrosse team suffered a 12-3 beating at the hands of the Princeton Tigers in New Jersey. Two years ago, the Crimson sell-out crowd was quieted by Princeton’s 13-4 thrashing of the home team.

Similar stories of Tiger victories are found in each of the last 15 Harvard-Princeton match-ups. Tomorrow, the No. 19 Crimson (5-3, 2-1 Ivy) will look to end this long drought, as it takes on the No. 8 Tigers (6-3, 2-0 Ivy) at 3 p.m. at Jordan Field.

While history is certainly not on its side, Harvard feels that this squad is one of the best to face Princeton in recent years.

In other words, if the Crimson ever has a shot to take down the Tigers, this is it.

“Historically, we’re not looking at it that way,” Crimson coach Scott Anderson said. “We’re looking at it this way and this year. This is about this year’s team, and we think we have a great opportunity to win the game.”

This year’s Princeton team comes into tomorrow’s game boasting the Ivy League’s only undefeated record, including a 16-7 victory over No. 9 Penn on Tuesday night.

Harvard will be riding the momentum gained from a 10-6 win at Brown on Tuesday evening, a game in which sophomore midfielder Zach Widbin tallied a hat trick and the Crimson outscored the Bears 5-1 in the second half en route to the victory.

However, the Tigers will provide a much tougher challenge for Harvard than Brown. In addition to leading the Ivy League in shots on goal per game at 38.6, the Tigers also boast the second best goals against average at just six per game.

“They’ve had our number,” Crimson captain Jake Samuelson said of the Tigers. “Princeton is one of the best teams in the country, but this is one of those years where we feel that we can play with one of the best teams.”

On the offensive end, the Tigers are led by junior attackers Peter Trombino and Scott Sowanick, who have each notched 13 goals on the season. Trombino had two goals and three assists in the victory over Penn, while Sowanick added three goals and an assist.

Defensively, Princeton goaltender Alex Hewit is one of the most proficient stoppers in the league, boasting a 66 percent save percentage.

Harvard, meanwhile, is paced by junior midfielder Evan Calvert (14 goals) and junior attacker Greg Cohen (15 goals). Junior John Henry Flood, coming off his best game of the season—winning 14 of 18 faceoffs—leads the team with 32 ground balls.

Between the pipes, the Crimson will likely employ two goalies, as they have done consistently this season. Sophomore Evan O’Donnell is the probable starter, while freshman Joe Pike, who gave up just a single goal in 30 minutes of action Tuesday night, will likely see second-half action.

Tomorrow’s game is not only important for Harvard to break its abysmal streak against the Tigers, but it also has major repercussions in Ivy League play, where the title remains up for grabs.

“I think there is a lot of parity in our league now,” Anderson noted. “It is very balanced.”

Four teams—Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, and Penn—boast records better than .500. That makes every match-up between the teams crucial in the hunt for the Ivy title.

The first step is a Crimson victory over Princeton tomorrow. Fortunately, the match will take place in the friendly confines of Jordan Field.

“It will be nice to have them at home,” Samuelson said.

While that 15-game win streak certainly will be in the back of Harvard’s mind, the Crimson will take this one as just another game.

“I think if you go into any game thinking that you are not capable of winning, then you are selling yourself short,” Anderson said. “We’re certainly not thinking that way.”