Beating Delaware was a nice win this past Saturday, but upending Princeton on the road will be a big challenge.
On Tuesday night at Class of 1952 Stadium, the Villanova men's lacrosse team begins a streak of 5 games against top 20 opponents when they take on the #5 Princeton Tigers. Princeton enters the contest at 2-0 overall with victories of Hofstra and Johns Hopkins, both away from home. Villanova comes in with a record of 1-2, losing to Drexel and Lehigh while beating Delaware a few days ago. Last season, the Tigers beat the Cats 14-8 at Villanova Stadium.
Although young, the Tigers look to be on the upswing this year for head coach Chris Bates. They rallied to beat Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field which is certainly no easy feat. Tom Schreiber and Jeff Froccaro are explosive offensive weapons for Princeton, as the Tigers come in averaging 10.5 goals per game. As a result, Villanova's defense will be tested throughout and holding these guys in check will be critical.
A potential weakness for Princeton may be their inexperienced defense and goalkeeping. The Tigers graduated a few 4 year starters on the defensive end, so Jack Rice and Nick Doherty may be able to capitalize for the Cats. In addition, the Tigers start a true freshman goal with Matt O'Connor, although he has allowed less than 10 goals a game in both victories.
Game time is slated for 7 PM at Princeton.