March has come in like a lion for the men’s lacrosse team, which roared through its last four games while climbing to a 16th ranking in the latest Top 20 poll.
Binghamton (4-1) has received national recognition as a result of its tough schedule, which continues this weekend. The Bearcats will travel to Princeton to face Bellarmine today at 5 p.m., before playing No. 7 Princeton Sunday afternoon. Head coach Ed Stephenson hopes the tough slate of games will give his team another chance of advancing to NCAA tournament this year, if an at-large bid is necessary.
“That’s the whole point of the increase in our schedule this year, to give us that second opportunity to get in,” Stephenson said.
Bellarmine (2-3) is led by goalie J.C. Hutchins, who notched 15 saves against No. 13 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Knights haven’t given up more than nine goals in their last four games, but have struggled on the offensive end.
“They’ve been doing well between the pipes recently,” Stephenson said. “They’re going to pressure the ball pretty hard, with solid goaltending. They have a couple of kids on the offensive end that are pretty slick. We’re going to need a good team effort.”
Princeton (2-2) has lost two games against top-10 opponents, and will be looking to end their recent frustrations through a well-balanced offensive attack, which has resulted in 14 different players scoring goals this season. Junior Peter Trombino leads the Tigers in goals and assists, with five of each, and freshman Mark Kovler has made an immediate impact with six points. The Princeton defense, which has allowed only 6.5 goals per game, may also cause problems for the Bearcats’ young offense.
Freshmen attackmen Chris Mulheron and America East Rookie of the Week Jake Boyce look to extend their scoring streaks to seven games, and will be aided by the experience of juniors Rob Williams and Matt McNamara.
The Bearcats will need a solid game from the whole team in order to topple Princeton, whom they have yet to face in the program’s short Division I history.
“We were kind of spotty in our last game; fortunately a few of the guys stepped up,” said Stephenson, who sees this weekend as another opportunity for his team to establish its name. “It’s just another two good games to help prepare us for our conference season.”