M. Lax seniors look to take first-ever win over Tigers

Princeton is riding a 26-game Ivy winning streak into today's game against Penn at Old Nassau. Penn men's lacrosse star Pete Janney has received many accolades in his four years as a Quaker. Last year, he was first team All-Ivy selection and an All-American honorable mention. Three years ago, he became the first Penn player to be named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. There is, however, something he has not accomplished. Janney, and the rest of the Class of 2000, have never beaten Princeton. They get their final chance at the Tigers tonight at 7 p.m. at Old Nassau's Class of 1952 Stadium. "I want this win a lot," Janney said. "Knowing how much they've been able to accomplish while I've been here, being able to knock them off would be great." Although not beating Princeton in four years is disappointing, the seniors and the rest of the team are in good company. The Tigers (4-1, 1-0 Ivy League) are riding a 26-game winning streak in the Ivies, as well as a 10-game winning streak against Penn (4-4, 0-3). Princeton is also seeking its sixth straight Ivy title this season. Also, in the four years that Janney has been at Penn, the Tigers have won two national championships. The Quakers can take pride in the fact that the only one-goal Ivy game that the Tigers have been a part of since the streak began took place last year at Franklin Field. In that game, Princeton spotted Penn a 7-3 lead into the third quarter before coming back to score six straight goals. The Quakers had a chance to tie the score with 10 seconds left in the game, but the Tigers were able to withstand the breakaway and came away with the victory. "We played an awfully tight game with them last year," Penn coach Marc Van Arsdale said. "It's similar this year that they clearly have more than anybody in the league, but the gap is not what it was two or three years ago." Despite not possessing the dominance over the league of past years, Princeton still has several dominant players. The Tiger that the Quakers have to be most fearful of is senior Josh Sims. Sims -- a high school teammate of Janney -- has scored at least four points in all of Princeton's games this season. "Sims is easily the Ivy Player of the Year favorite," Van Arsdale said. "He's just one of the best, if not the best, midfielders in the country." While Sims is clearly the one to watch, the Tigers have many more weapons. On the defensive end, they lost all of last year's starters to graduation. But freshman Damien Davis has played a crucial role in this year's squad, becoming only the third rookie at Princeton since 1991 to start the first game of his freshman year. "They're young on defense, but we have to concentrate on making as few mistakes on the offensive end as possible," Janney said. On offense, the Tigers are dangerous as well. Senior Matt Striebel guides the frontline and is second on the team in scoring with 10 points. B.J. Prager is is second on the team in goals with seven. "They were playing with a lot of young people offensively last year, and they've grown up," Van Arsdale said. "Matt Striebel runs the show, on that end. He's a very good athlete and someone we also need to pay attention to." The Quakers are coming off a difficult loss to Cornell last weekend. In that game, the Quakers were up 5-4 before the Big Red went on a run, scoring 12 of the next 14 goals. Penn dropped to 0-3 in the league and to 4-4 overall. "For us as a team to be successful, there is a certain way we need to play, and we did that in the first half," Van Arsdale said. "We won a fair amount of face-offs; we took long possessions; we moved the ball around well; and we didn't have any turnovers. That kind of play rests the defense. In the second half we didn't do any of that." Conversely, Princeton is coming into tonight's game fresh off a convincing win over a Yale team that beat the Quakers earlier in the season. The Tigers trounced the Elis, 17-5, with Brendan Tierney leading the team with three goals and two assists. Princeton played stellar defense throughout the game, holding Yale scoreless in the first quarter and only allowing one goal in the first half. While the odds may be against the Quakers, they can take solace in this fact: Before the Tigers' current 10-game winning streak against Penn, the Quakers had won 10 straight against their arch-enemies. If this pattern holds, Janney could secure one more distinction before tonight is over.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.