Men's lacrosse downs Yale in Ivy League opener

Picture Class of 1952 Stadium. Now picture Yale fans jumping for joy with the thrill of a big victory. This was reality the last time the Elis came to Princeton, defeating the men's lacrosse team and snapping a 37-game Ivy League winning streak just two wins shy of matching the all-time record for consecutive Ivy League victories.

Two seasons later, Yale (4-2, 1-2) was back and ready once again to hand Princeton (4-2, 1-0) an upset. At the close of the second quarter, the Elis seemed likely to give the Tigers just that. With the thought still lingering deep in the minds of the Tigers, revenge became the motivator for the third quarter run that gave Princeton the lead, a lead that the team would never relinquish. In the end, the Tigers held on for a solid 12-9 win in their Ivy League opener.

"We talked about [the 2002 game] before the game," senior midfield Drew Casino said. "For coach Tierney and the juniors and seniors on the team, that was a very lasting memory. It was definitely a motivating factor."

Slow start

Play in the first quarter went back and forth, with neither team taking an advantage. By the end of the second quarter, Yale had taken the upper hand. The Elis continued to pepper the Tiger net and capitalize on the Tigers' defensive mistakes. By the close of the half, Yale had edged ahead 5-4.

"It took us a while to get going," junior defense Josh Johnson conceded. "We didn't anticipate being down to them and having to come back."

"It was basically poor decision-making and poor execution," senior attack Ryan Boyle added.

Although the Tigers made various defensive mistakes, sophomore goalie Dave Law played well, tallying nine saves on the afternoon. Also helping Princeton was Yale's abundance of penalties — 11 in total. The Elis allowed 10 man-up advantages, while the Tigers only conceded one. However, despite all of Yale's penalties, Princeton had exceptional difficulty capitalizing on those extra-man opportunities, converting just two into scores.

Yale's Seth Goldberg notched a quick goal at the beginning of the third quarter, bringing his game total to three.

Let's go streaking

Not wanting to let the Elis start a run, junior attack Jason Doneger took the impetus on himself and scored a pair of goals one minute apart, tying the game, 6-6. That was the beginning of a 7-goal streak that would doom Yale's upset bid to the world of fantasy and almosts.

"Jason is always Mr. Reliable," Casino said. "When we needed some goals, he stepped up and scored."

Princeton's comeback reached its climax with freshman attack Whitney Hayes's goal two minutes into the fourth quarter. In a little over 15 minutes, the Tigers went from trailing 6-4 to leading 11-6.

"The seven goal streak that we went on — that is what our team is," junior goalie Matt Larkin said. "That is our capability. That is the type of team that we can be and that is the type of team that realistically can win a national championship."

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Doneger closed the contest with four goals and Boyle played his customary, unselfish game, scoring one goal and picking up five assists.

Making history

The five assists, however, were anything but customary. Not only does Boyle now lead this year's squad with 24 dishes, he is also making his mark on history. The offensive superstar now has 134 assists for his career, which vaults him into second place all-time at Princeton in that category. But while Boyle passed Jon Hess '98, he still trails leader Kevin Lowe '94 by 40 assists.

"It feels good because I know both guys that are right at the top," Boyle said. "The fact that I'm mentioned in the same breath as them is a huge compliment. I feel very honored."

Also contributing for the Tigers were Casino and freshman attack Peter Trombino who registered a pair of goals each. Trombino also chimed in with two assists. The diaper dandy now has seven goals and seven assists on the year, putting him in third on the team in total points.

Princeton also saw a big improvement in the midfield and particularly on the wings, with strong performances from sophomore midfield Mike Wenzel and junior midfield David Willard.

The Tigers will go for two in a row this Saturday when they host instate rival Rutgers on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights have improved significantly in the last few years and should provide a tough test for head coach Bill Tierney's bunch.