Princeton exposes Hofstra weaknesses

PRINCETON, N.J. -- A couple of childhood buddies from Long Island helped No. 17 Princeton hand No. 14 Hofstra its first men's lacrosse loss of the season Saturday, 12-6, at Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium.

Princeton never trailed and dominated the first half but, after Ian Braddish, Lance Yapor and Steve Serling scored three straight to pull Hofstra within a goal at 6-5 with 7:16 remaining in the third, a Pride comeback seemed imminent.

They would get no closer. Former Chaminade star Will Himler found former St. Anthony's star Tom Schreiber in front of the cage with 4:21 left in the third, beginning a 6-1 Princeton run that closed out the game.

"Me and Willy have been playing together since we were 13 years old," Schreiber said. "We went to rival high schools but I know what Willy does. That was a nice goal because they were trying to sneak back in."

Schreiber, who last season became the first freshman to lead Princeton in goals and assists, finished with a collegiate-best seven points (three goals, four assists).

Two years ago, in their final high school contest, Schreiber's St. Anthony's squad defeated Himler and Chaminade, 8-7, in a hard-fought CHSAA championship game that went to overtime and stretched over two days because of lightning.

"It's funny," Schreiber said. "We played together growing up in summer leagues, then we split and now we're back together. I patted him on the back after that game and said, 'Hey, we're on the same team again.' "

It's a good partnership for Princeton (1-0). The Tigers dominated nearly every statistical category but, until the late Tigers run, Hofstra (1-1) remained alive.

Senior Zachary Pall, who won 7 of 12 draws, was a big reason for that. The Pride switched to Pall after All-American John Antonides was just 2-for-10.

"John is still our faceoff guy," Hofstra coach Seth Tierney said. "He just had a bad day. And when he has a bad day, we all have a bad day."

Braddish led Hofstra with two goals and one assist. Yapor added two goals and has six goals on six shots this season.

Port Washington's Jeff Froccaro had two goals for Princeton. Princeton won ground balls, 28-19, and outshot Hofstra, 39-20.

"I don't think we played well at all," Tierney said. "The ball bounced [Princeton's] way, but they made it bounce their way."

Tierney said Hofstra needs work in all areas: "If we think we're gonna patch all these holes at once, it doesn't work that way. We have to fix things correctly. One at a time."

As for Schreiber, he said he takes no pleasure in beating Hofstra, but enjoys the chance to play them.

"I've seen more Hofstra games than any other team," he said. "I grew up a couple of miles from there watching John Danowski and now coach Tierney. I know a lot of guys on Hofstra. It's pretty cool."