Game Night

Today is the birthday of one David Rosenfeld, who did two stints in the Princeton Office of Athletic Communications and who also happens to be one of TigerBlog's best friends.

A career in college athletics isn't always easy, and it isn't always for everyone. David went from Princeton Loyola but long ago left the profession, though he still does stats for a bunch of games for the Greyhounds. 

He didn't do the stats last week for the Princeton-Loyola women's lacrosse game in Baltimore, but he and TB did get a chance to share a pizza beforehand (for the record, David had pepperoni on his half and TB had mushroom on his half). It was great to see him, as always. He was really well-liked when he worked here, and TigerBlog has always find him to maybe as much as anyone he's met to be able to see through to the root of issues and use that as a way to propose the best possible solutions. Plus he's funny.

So happy birthday David. Make it a great one.

The game that David didn't keep stats for was also a great one, if you were either a Loyola fan or an impartial observer. As a Princeton fan, TB wasn't thrilled with how it ended – 16-15 in the favor of the Greyhounds – but he can appreciate how good a game it was.

The teams were two of the last four unbeaten teams in Division I women's lacrosse. Both were ranked highly. It was an NCAA tournament-level game, to be sure, even if it clearly wasn't May, not with the cold, rain and wind that blew across the Ridley Athletic Complex.

Princeton was supposed to have a quick turnaround after that game to a game Friday night at Columbia. It was perfect for TB - head up to Columbia Friday night and then keep going to Yale for the men's game Saturday. 

Alas, that game needed to be postponed due to non-Covid health issues with the Tigers. That game is now going to be played on Wednesday April 27, and it leaves Princeton with three straight weeks of a midweek game and a Saturday game.

There is a midweek game this week – in fact it's Princeton vs. Stony Brook tonight at 7 on Sherrerd Field – though there is no game this weekend. The Tigers don't play again until they take on Brown next Saturday in Providence, and if you listen to this week's edition of the Princeton Laxcast with Chris Sailer, you'll note that TB makes a mistake by saying the next game is next Wednesday against Maryland. The actual schedule is Stony Brook tonight and then no game again until April 9 at Brown, followed by that Maryland game April 13. 

Tonight's opponent is the No. 5 team in the country, with a 6-2 record that includes losses to No. 3 Northwestern and No. 4 Syracuse. The Seawolves also have played Ivy members Dartmouth and Brown and won those games by a combined 35-6. 

If you're looking for the most simplistic pregame analysis possible, then here it is: Princeton ranks fifth in Division I in scoring offense with more than 16 goals per game, while Stony Brook is third in the country in scoring defense at 7.75 per game. 

Simple, right? 

What's been the most special thing about Princeton's offense this year is that it's not just the Kyla Sears show. Yes, Sears is Princeton's leading scorer – and the Ivy leader in goals per game and points per game – but the supporting cast has been outstanding. 

Princeton has gotten 42 goals and 17 assists between Sophie Whiteway, Ellie Mueller, Nina Montes and McKenzie Blake, none of whom had played in a game prior to this year. Kate Mulham had six career goals prior to this year; she has 10 goals and six assists. Grace Taukus and Kari Buonanno, who showed their potential in the shortened 2022 season, have combined for 32 goals and eight assists.

Add that all together, and that's how Princeton has vaulted itself near the top of the scoring offense chart.

Tonight's game will be a huge challenge. Then it's a break for 11 days (not eight, as TB said in the podcast), and that's followed by seven games in 23 days to end the regular season.