WILL TO SUCCEED: Will Doran prepares to fire a shot in recent action for the Williams College men’s lacrosse team. Former Princeton High star Doran tallied 38 points on 20 goals and 18 assists this season, emerging as a star during his sophomore campaign for the Ephs. (Photo by Shiv Patel, provided courtesy of Williams College Athletics)

By Bill Alden

During his senior season for the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team in 2022, Will Doran was the main man for the Tigers, leading New Jersey in scoring with 128 points on 55 goals and 73 assists.

Heading to Williams College that fall to start his college career with the Division-III program, Doran found himself as a member of the supporting cast for the Ephs, struggling to make an impact at the next level.

“I would say lacrosse-wise, the game is just a lot faster going from playing boys’ lacrosse in high school to playing men’s lacrosse in college,” said Doran. “It definitely took some adjustment, that can definitely be frustrating at times. The two biggest things were decision-making and the speed of the game, they kind of go hand in hand.”

Working his way into the lineup in his freshman campaign, attacker Doran started to get up to speed as he ended up with seven goals and five assists in 2023.

“I was forced to become a better decision-maker; there is a larger margin for error in high school. You are able to sling some shots that don’t work at the college level, sling some feeds that will get picked off by college defenders,” said Doran, who scored his first college goal in a 18-6 win over Bates College in early April. “I struggled a bunch in the fall, turning the ball over and making some reckless decisions. My IQ as a player grew a little bit and my decision-making did too.”

A turning point for Doran came when he tallied three goals and two assists in a 14-11 loss to Tufts, then ranked No. 2 in the country among D-III teams.

“In a lot of ways I see that as a stepping off point for my college career,” said Doran of the performance against the Jumbos. “I feel like it built some confidence from my teammates in me. It was a tough one to lose. We were up on them — that team was an unbelievable team. I feel like it was a game we should have won. It was a heck of a game and I was really happy to contribute.”

This spring, Doran made a major contribution for the Ephs, more than tripling his offensive output from his freshmen year, tallying 38 points in 20 goals and 18 assists.

“The way I looked at it is I am going to bring the mentality of a starting attackmen to every single practice,” said the 6’1, 176-pound Doran, reflecting on his approach to his sophomore season. “If I find myself on the field, I find myself on the field. It wasn’t as much of a mindset change as it was a hunger to win games.”

Starting the 2024 season on the attack, Doran scored a goal in a 14-13 win over Babson in the season opener on March 2 and then tallied two goals and two assists in a 12-11 loss to Union.

“Getting some points on the board gets the confidence going a little bit,” said Doran. “It was clouded a little bit by the loss to Union. That was a game that the guys in our locker room felt like we should have won. On a personal side, it was a confidence builder. I think at the time when we played them, they were a top 15 team.”

A month later, Doran produced another big game in the rivalry with Tufts, tallying four goals and four assists against a Jumbos squad that ended up winning the NCAA D-III national title.

“That was an awesome game, a confidence boost for me personally,” said Doran, reflecting on the contest which saw Willams build an early 9-1 lead before ultimately losing 17-15. “It was a tough one to lose, we thought were the better team. We will see them again and hope to stick it to them next year.”

Developing a connection with former Princeton Day School star and childhood friend Cal Caputo on the Williams attack unit helped make Doran more confident on the field.

“I can easily saying that playing on the same line with Cal has been one of the greatest joys of my lacrosse career,” said Doran of Caputo, who led the Ephs in scoring this spring with 61 points on 44 goals and 17 assists. “I grew up right next door to Cal, he is a big reason why I chose to come to Williams.”

Hitting their stride with three straight wins to end the regular season, Doran and his teammates were primed for a big playoff run. Williams, though, fell 14-4 to No. 16 Bowdoin in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) quarterfinals to end the spring with a 9-7 record.

“We had played really well down the stretch, we felt good going into the playoffs,” said Doran. “All the credit in the world to that Bowdoin team, they had an outstanding year. They had some really, really special talent. Unfortunately, it is part of the game, you win, you lose. That one we came out shorthanded.”

Going forward, Doran believes that Williams has pieces in place to win a lot of games next season.

“I couldn’t feel better about the foundation that we have, the senior leadership and the captains in my two years so far laid a foundation that is second to none,” said Doran, noting that former PHS teammate and defender Will Erickson is part of that foundation. “With the returners, and speaking to some of our incoming freshmen, we are super focused. We know what we are capable of achieving. It starts right now in the summer with our training and everything. I feel really good about this team. We are talented, we are confident, and we work hard.”

Emerging as a leading scorer for Williams this spring has given Doran confidence as he heads into his junior year.

“You are always happy when you see a positive trajectory, the goal is to keep it that way and I am working towards that,” said Doran. “A lot that upward trajectory this year is from playing with guys like Cal and other guys on the team. I feel really good, it is huge to get experience and hopefully push forward, stepping into a bigger role.”

Doran will be pushing hard this summer to maintain that upward trajectory.

“I am focusing a lot on just becoming a better athlete, whether that is strength or explosiveness,” said Doran. “I am doing all sorts of weight training and conditioning. I felt like I left some points on the field this year so how I work towards that is a lot of hours out on the field, getting as many shots up as I can. We have a tournament with Williams in Glastonbury, Conn., during July. Also a bunch of the guys in the team live within an hour so we will get together and get some work in and get some live reps.”