The Midshipmen and Tigers have not met in the stick sport since 1990 and have no intention of scheduling one another any time soon.

Which is why Princeton head coach Bill Tierney was receptive when 10th-year Navy head coach Richie Meade approached him about an exchange of information.

Several times over the past few years, Meade and Tierney have talked about offensive strategy, defensive packages and overall playing philosophy. Navy assistant John Tillman has discussed many of the same topics with top-notch Princeton assistant Dave Metzbower.

"Riche Meade and John Tillman are friends. We have gotten together a lot the last couple years to talk lacrosse, to kind of share ideas and thoughts," Tierney said yesterday during a teleconference to preview this weekend's Division I Final Four.

"Obviously, the reason we've been willing to work with Navy is because our teams never play."

That friendly arrangement may fall by the wayside now that second-seeded Navy (14-2) and sixth-seeded Princeton (11-3) are meeting in the national semifinals.

Princeton is always a formidable opponent come playoff time, having captured six national championships since 1992 under Tierney. The Tigers' NCAA Tournament winning percentage of .771 (27-8) is the best in Division I history.

Perhaps the most remarkable statistic is that Princeton boasts a 23-0 record in NCAA play against teams other than Syracuse. The Tigers are 19-3 in tournament games decided by two goals or less.

Such success is what led Meade to pick up the phone and call Tierney, whose 19-year career record is 224-67. Navy had only made one NCAA Tournament appearance since Meade took over the program in 1995 and the hard-working head coach was looking for ideas on how to get his program farther.

"Bill Tierney is clearly one of the top coaches in the game and he has been kind enough to let me pick his brain every now and then," Meade said. "We've gotten together a few times to take a look at some of the things they do. He's asked about some of the things we do."

So it stands to reason that both head coaches have some inside information, some interesting insight on how to beat the other. Tierney had mixed feelings, admitting he's reviewed Navy game tape in recent years but not necessarily in a scouting mode.

"We have not watched a lot of Navy film this season; so we have a lot of catching up to do," said Tierney, who caught Navy's quarterfinal victory over Cornell on television while Metzbower scouted the game live.

Meade agreed with Tierney's assessment that watching Princeton tape for the purpose of gleaning strategical ideas was different from scouting personnel for the purpose of preparing a game plan.

"We know the style of lacrosse Princeton plays. We don't really know this year's team," Meade said. "We have knowledge about Princeton, but not a real comfort level."

Princeton is led by senior attackman Ryan Boyle, a Gilman School graduate who is a finalist for the Teewaraton Award. The two-time Ivy League Player of the Year leads the Tigers in scoring with 22 goals and 41 assists.

Boyle practically willed Princeton to an upset of third-seeded Maryland this past Saturday, scoring two goals in the final two minutes to force overtime then assisting Peter Trombino on the game-winner.

"This is a very young, inexperienced team that has ridden the back of a great senior leader in Ryan Boyle," Tierney said.

Trombino, an attackman who was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, is the team's third-leading scorer with 23 goals and 11 assists. The St. Anthony's (N.Y.) High product heads a strong freshman class that has provided significant production.

Attackmen Scott Sowanick and Whitney Hayes (23 points apiece) are among five freshmen who have reached double figures in scoring for Princeton. First-year players have combined to score 50 goals in 14 games for the Tigers.

Severn School product Mike Biles is among half a dozen freshmen in the regular rotation. Biles, who has appeared in all 14 games with one start, is primarily playing a short stick defensive midfielder role.

Published May 25, 2004, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.