When the men's lacrosse team called timeout with 13 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 13, you knew something special was about to happen. Then again, when Ryan Boyle steps onto the field something special always happens.
The sophomore attackman — recently named Ivy League Player of the Year — used two screens and some nifty stickwork to free himself for an open look, and netted the game winner with four seconds left on the clock as Princeton withstood a furious comeback by Georgetown (12-3) and knocked off the Hoyas 14-13 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. With the win, the fourth-seeded Tigers (9-4 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) move on to play top-seeded Johns Hopkins next week in the Final Four in Piscataway. The Blue Jays advanced by surviving an overtime thriller against UMass.
Coming out of the final timeout, Boyle picked up the ball near midfield and moved to his right. Using a screen by senior midfielder Dan Clark, Boyle quickly cut back left.
"I was supposed to dump the ball off," Boyle said. "But after the first pick by Danny, his man switched off and I thought I might end up with the shot."
Moving towards the goal on the left side, Boyle got another screen from junior midfielder Brad Dumont. Once again, however, the Hoyas switched off on the pick and Boyle was forced to improvise.
"After the second switch, I got a long pole on me and I knew I would have to shoot," Boyle said. "He [the defender] cut off my left and when he went over my head, I just tucked it in. I knew from then that I would have a clean shot. Thankfully, it went in."
Trailing 10-6 at halftime, Georgetown came out at a furious pace in the third quarter. After trading goals for the first part of the period, the Hoyas closed with two straight goals to narrow the margin to two heading into the final 15 minutes.
The difference was still two when junior defender Damien Davis forced a turnover with six minutes to go and brought the ball out of the zone himself. Davis took the ball the length of the field and let a bouncing shot go. Georgetown goalie Scott Schroeder made the save and started a break the other way. When the play ended, the Hoyas had closed the lead to one as they took advantage of poor Tiger transition defense.
"We've been working on transition defense every day for the past two weeks," head coach Bill Tierney said. "I think their goal had to do with a little fatigue, a lot of emotion on their part and the fact that Georgetown was playing for their lives. They took chances and played well. It shows you how good a team they are."
Trailing by only one, the Hoyas got the ball back with just under two minutes to go. After a timeout, Georgetown wasted little time setting up the offense and netted the game-tying goal with just 44 seconds left.
The Hoyas then controlled the ensuing faceoff, but a crucial stop in front of the net by junior netminder Julian Gould gave the Tigers back possession. Junior defender Brian Lieberman cleared the ball and called timeout to set up Boyle's heroics.
The first half was marked by an explosive offensive output led by Boyle, who finished with five points on two goals and three assists, and junior attackman Sean Harfofilis. Hartofilis finished the day with four goals and one assist, though all four of his goals came in the first half.
"Our guys were creating a lot, so the defense had to slide," Hartofilis said. "I got the ball with a lot of time and space. When that happens, I can usually get a good shot off."
After the emotional win, Princeton will now look ahead to its rematch with Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays beat the Tigers 8-5 in both teams' season opener back in March. Both squads, however, have grown and changed since then and Saturday's matchup promises to be a tough and physical game. Princeton must get a similar offensive performance from its stars, while the defense will have to step up if the Tigers are going to have a chance at upsetting Hopkins. Editor's Note: This breaking story was appended to the May 17th issue of The Daily Princetonian's online edition on May 20th.
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