After deftly defeating UMBC last weekend, the No. 7 Tigers will travel to Towson, Md., to take on No. 2 Maryland in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament Sunday.
The last time Princeton (11-4 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) took on Maryland (11-4) was in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, when the Tigers defeated the Terps 9-8 with an overtime goal by junior attack Peter Trombino. Although Maryland, which has made 29 NCAA tournament appearances, leads the overall series between the teams 28-12-1, Princeton has defeated the the Terps in their last five encounters, all of which have occurred during NCAA tournament play. In 1997 and 1998, the Princeton squad beat Maryland in the championship game.
Last weekend, the Tigers dominated UMBC, thanks largely to freshman attack Tommy Davis, who scored three goals to lead the Tigers to an 11-8 victory. Davis sustained a shoulder injury in the last seconds of the Syracuse game earlier this season and had been out of action until he returned in full force for the matchup with the Retrievers.
The Tigers pulled ahead early in the game, leading UMBC 4-0, and the team never let the Retreivers catch up. For the game Princeton outshot UMBC 37-32, and sophomore goalie Alex Hewit held the Retreivers scoreless on their first 17 shots.
Along with Davis' three goals, Trombino and junior attack Whitney Hayes scored two each, and junior attack Scott Sowanick, sophomore attack Bob Schneider and freshmen midfielders Josh Lesko and Mark Kovler scored a goal apiece. Trombino now has 21 goals and 18 assists this season, and he is the first Princeton player ever to have more than 20 goals and 10 assists in his freshmen, sophomore and junior years.
Maryland defeated Denver in the first round of the tournament by a score of 16-8, after scoring the first six goals of the game and never allowing the Pioneers to catch up.
Seven Terps scored in the game, including Maxwell Ritz who scored five goals, Brendan Healy and Xander Ritz who both scored three and Bill McGlone who scored two.
Going into this weekend's game, the Tigers' trademark strong defense will be a critical factor. Maryland is currently ranked 15th in Division I in scoring. Already this season, Princeton has faced six of the top 12 scoring teams, and has not allowed a single one to exceed their scoring average. In 11 of the Tigers' 15 games this season, the squad held their opponents to seven or fewer goals.
This weekend's game will also be a face-off between two great head coaches, Princeton's Bill Tierney and Maryland's Dave Cottle. Tierney has a 242-79 all-time record in his 22 seasons as a head coach at Princeton and previously RIT, and Cottle is 237-91 in 24 seasons, the last five of which have been at Maryland.
Last weekend's game marked Princeton's return to the NCAA tournament this after failing to make the cut last year for the first time in 15 seasons. Since 1992, Princeton has won six NCAA championships and advanced to the Final Four ten times.
The winner of this weekend's game will advance to the semifinals and face-off on Sunday, May 27 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia against the winner of the Hofstra-UMass match-up, also scheduled to take place this weekend.
That game is scheduled for 12 noon on Sunday at Towson's Unitas Stadium, in the suburbs just north of Baltimore.
Read More
No. 7 women’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals against No. 1 UNC
Hayk YengibaryanWith the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
With the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals after 19–18 loss to No. 5 Syracuse
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
With the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.