In boxing there is Ali and Frazier. In basketball, Bird and Magic. Baseball has the Red Sox and Yankees. Sports are often defined by their rivalries. Men's college lacrosse is quickly becoming de-fined by Prince-ton and Syracuse.
Last Saturday, the nation's la-crosse eyes turned their focus to Princeton and the rematch of last year's national championship game when the Tigers defeated the Orangemen, 10-9.
In a contest marked by quick scoring bursts and physical play, Syracuse outlasted the Tigers, 11-8, in front of a standing-room-only record crowd of 5,476 at 1952 Stadium.
Coming into the game, only Syracuse had held its form from a year ago. The Orangemen came into the game 4-1 and ranked second in the nation. The Tigers, on the other hand, came in having lost two of their first three games after losing just one — to Syracuse — all of last year.
Still, between the emotion of the rivalry and the improvement that the team showcased in its 12-4 thrashing of Hofstra the week before, this contest promised to be a thriller. The teams did not disappoint.
Midway through the fourth quarter, junior midfielder Matt Trevenen found senior attackman B.J. Prager in front of the net to give the Tigers an 8-7 lead. That would be all the scoring for Princeton. Syracuse reeled off four straight goals over a five-minute span and played a game of keep-away in the last two minutes to finish out the game.
"The [scoring] spurts made us crazy," head coach Bill Tierney said. "We did what we wanted to do during the game. Their goals were just bunched together. It was frustrating for us because our guys played a great game."
"Their quick spurts were more a function of them than us," junior defender Damien Davis added. "They've got great players and we have to get better at stopping them to beat them."
The Tigers, however, used spurts of their own thoughout the game to keep it close. Princeton jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and tacked on one more in the beginning of the second. Trevenen opened the scoring nine minutes into the game as he scored on a feed from sophomore attackman Ryan Boyle. Two minutes later, Davis brought the ball up the field and finished the play he started with a bouncing shot from in front. Prager scored with just under two minutes left in the quarter before Trevenen added another goal early in the next period.
Then it was Syracuse's turn. The Orangemen used precision passing and several Tiger miscues to go on their own 4-0 run and tie the game heading into intermission.
"I think those kinds of runs are typical of Syracuse/Princeton games," Boyle said. "Momentum is key and it keeps swinging. It's just frustrating that when you play Syracuse and you do badly for one minute, they don't just get one goal, they get four."
The second half started with more of the same as Syracuse's premier attackman, sophomore Michael Powell, finally got on the board with a goal. The 5-4 lead did not last long as the Tigers came back with three goals of their own. Trevenen completed his hat trick off a pass from junior attackman Sean Hartofilis to tie the game. Then junior midfielder Owen Daly gave the Tigers a 6-5 lead as he dove in from the left side of the goal and snuck it past the Orangeman netminder. Minutes later, junior midfielder Josh White put the Tigers up two as he stutter-stepped from behind the goal, came around front and buried the shot.
After Syracuse scored two goals to tie the game again, Trevenen beat his man and found Prager for Princeton's final goal.
An interesting side story in the game was the one-on-one matchup of Davis against Michael Powell. Powell, who may be the nation's best attack man, is known for his outstanding quickness and his ability to score from any position. Davis, however, once again proved that he is one of the premier defenders in the country as he limited Powell to just one goal and one assist.
"He's a tough player," Davis said. "I just tried to take away some of his strengths. He's quick so I gave him a bigger cushion. It worked well, but they showed that they have a lot of weapons that can beat you."
"It was a matchup of two great kids," Tierney added. "Damien was so unselfish to guard him the way he did. But to Powell's credit, he moved the ball around and found the open guys."
Despite the strong effort, with a 1-3 record, the Tigers have reason to be concerned. An at-large bid to the NCAA tournament seems unlikely. Princeton will probably have to win the Ivy League title to garner the automatic bid.
"I told the team after the game today that we now have to win our next eight games," Tierney said. "I hope we can do it."
Read More
What’s an offseason? Jackson Green and Jay Mentink on being multi-sport athletes at Princeton
Doug SchwartzPrinceton sophomores Jackson Green and Jay Mentink embrace the challenge of playing two Division I sports while tackling Ivy League academics head-on.
Princeton sophomores Jackson Green and Jay Mentink embrace the challenge of playing two Division I sports while tackling Ivy League academics head-on.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse routs No. 14 Towson 22–12, Mackesy breaks career goals record
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in 2022. Princeton will take on No. 5 Syracuse in Hempstead, N.Y., next weekend for a spot in the final four.
With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in 2022. Princeton will take on No. 5 Syracuse in Hempstead, N.Y., next weekend for a spot in the final four.
Senior Coulter Mackesy, Pace Billings ’24, and Sam English ’23 drafted to Premier Lacrosse League
Hayk YengibaryanThe PLL, founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, is North America’s professional lacrosse league. The league currently features eight teams that compete in a tour-based format, traveling to different cities each weekend throughout the summer season.
The PLL, founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, is North America’s professional lacrosse league. The league currently features eight teams that compete in a tour-based format, traveling to different cities each weekend throughout the summer season.