Quaker shaker: m. lacrosse ekes past Penn

When Penn defenseman Joseph Shanagan scooped up a loose ball deep in his own territory, darted downfield and poked a shot past Princeton sophomore goalkeeper Dave Law early in the fourth quarter Tuesday at Class of 1952 Stadium, what had begun as a routine league matchup on a dismal weekday afternoon suddenly turned into the most important game of lacrosse the Tigers have played all season.

No. 6 Princeton (6-2 overall, 2-0 Ivy League), though, responded to the pressure and rallied for a thrilling 9-6 win over the feisty Quakers (5-5, 2-3).

After letting a two-goal lead slip away late in the third quarter, the Tigers found themselves down a goal, 6-5, with 12 minutes remaining. As the April rain continued to soak the turf, the Tigers' early-season share of the Ivy League lead, and a clear shot at the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, were slipping quickly away.

With just under 10 minutes left in the game, however, freshman attackman Whitney Hayes dodged quickly behind the net, pushing toward the goal and threading a pass to classmate Peter Trombino for a game-knotting finish. Less than two minutes later, senior attackman Ryan Boyle found Hayes open in the box, and Hayes' resulting goal gave the Tigers the lead and ignited a game-ending 4-0 rally that gave the Tigers the 9-6 victory.

The Tigers were in a hole early after Penn netted two quick goals, but the Princeton defense settled down, holding Penn standout Will Phillips to a single point on a third-quarter assist and holding the Quakers scoreless for more than 37 minutes after their game-opening rally.

The most dramatic story, though, was the emergence of Hayes. Aside from his final-quarter heroics, he added two assists in the first half, as the Tigers used deft ball movement to build a lead, repeatedly finding teammates open on the crease for easy shots.

"It's still the same game [in college]," said Hayes, a Princeton native, "you are just playing against stronger competition. I have gotten to the point where I am playing more under control, and I'm not shaken as easily."

Princeton outshot the Quakers 33-23 for the game, including a 12-3 advantage in the fourth quarter.

Boyle, Trombino and senior midfield Drew Casino all tied for the team lead with two goals each, and Hayes led with his three assists.

With wins against Yale and Penn, the Tigers stand at 2-0 in league play, but all seven Ivy teams have garnered national respect in the polls, and a Tuesday loss could have been tragic for the Tigers' title hopes.

Harvard

Next on the schedule is a Saturday showdown at Harvard (5-4, 1-2). The Crimson entered the year squeaking into the rankings at No. 25 but has seen only sporadic success, pairing a win against powerhouse Massachusetts with an 11-goal shellacking at the hands of Bucknell.

On Tuesday, however, the Crimson shocked No. 10 Brown on the road, 12-10. Harvard relied on the play of its explosive first-year class, as freshmen accounted for seven of the 12 Crimson goals. The youngsters are paced by attackman Greg Cohen, who leads the Crimson in points this season with 21.

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"They have a great freshman class, just like we do," Hayes said. "We have to come to play on Saturday."

There is a drop in scoring on the Harvard roster after Cohen, but only because the points are well distributed. The next nine highest scorers in the Crimson lineup are separated by just six goals, led by midfield Jeff Gottschall, who has 14 points on eight goals and six assists.

Attackman Sean Kane leads Harvard in goals scored with 13.

Harvard will also rely on a steady defense and goalie Jake McKenna, one of the nation's top keepers. McKenna has played all nine Crimson games in net, allowing 8.18 goals against per game.

Princeton has won three straight nail biters since a close 14-12 loss to Syracuse.

The Tigers' 2-0 record is good for first in the Ivy League, but Dartmouth (1-0) and Cornell (2-1) are both just half a game behind while Brown (1-1) is only one back.