M. lax pulls out double OT thriller over Greyhounds

Riding an eight-game winning streak, men's lacrosse entered yesterday's game with Loyola as heavy favorites. But with the game knotted at five at the end of regulation, the Tigers were forced to play not one extra frame but two, with the next goal the difference between the continuation — or the termination — of its streak.

It was in the second frame of overtime that their seniors took charge. Senior midfielder Anthony Perna controlled the face-off and got the ball to fellow senior midfielder Matt Trevenen behind the Loyola net. He handed off to senior midfielder Josh White, who raced between two Loyola defensemen and fed the lone non-senior, sophomore attack Jason Doneger, cutting to the goal.

"[White] drew the double team and just threw it at my head," Doneger said. "I didn't have to do much."

Doneger's goal 38 seconds into double overtime at Loyola (6-5 overall) gave No. 2 Princeton (9-2, 4-0 Ivy League) a hard fought 6-5 win over the No. 19 Greyhounds.

Much like the Tigers' men's basketball team holds the ball for long stretches, so did the Loyola lacrosse unit. Loyola employed the same strategy that the team used in the 2001 NCAA quarterfinals, slowing down the pace of the game and limiting the Tigers' possessions. The Greyhounds received four stalling warnings over the course of the game, simply holding the ball behind the Tigers' cage.

Doneger continued his strong scoring spree with three goals in the game. In addition to the game winner, he added two goals in the first quarter as Princeton jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead. Trevenen also found the back of the net in the second quarter.

In the third, things fell apart for the Tigers. The Greyhounds began controlling face offs, exploting a Princeton weakness that has plagued the squad since the beginning of the year. The Tigers won only five of 16 in the game yesterday.

Loyola scored two goals 37 seconds apart and later 58 seconds apart to take a 4-3 second-half lead.

Yet the Tigers responded strong, with senior attack Sean Hartofilis tying the game with 23 seconds left in the third. Princeton then reclaimed the lead when junior attack Ryan Boyle found the back of the net.

The Tigers could not make the lead hold up, however. After the Greyhounds tied the game, a strange sequence sent the game into overtime. Loyola had a chance to win the game, but hit the pipe with a shot with one minute and 40 seconds left.

The rebound bounced all the way back down the other end of the field, where Doneger was closest to it as it went out of bounds, giving Princeton possession.

Loyola goalie Mark Bloomquist robbed Hartofilis with three seconds left from pointblank range. Senior midfielder Will Maccoll hit the rebound in with his hand, but was called for illegal contact.

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Bloomquist was dominant the whole game, and made a season-high 12 saves. In addition to his save on Hartofilis, he made three great consecutive saves on shots from Doneger, Hartofilis, and Boyle to preserve the Greyhound's 4-3 lead. He had no chance on Doneger's game winner however.