Princeton has a storied tradition when it comes to men's lacrosse over the past decade and a half, and many great players share a responsibility for the Tigers' six national championships since 1992.
But few stand out like Ryan Boyle '04, one of the greatest attackmen ever to grace the turf of Princeton.
He was the man behind some of Princeton's other great players, able to place the ball literally on the stick of a man right in the goalie's face with ease.
"[Boyle was able to] see when a guy was going to get open before he got open," head coach Bill Tierney recounted.
"Ryan's passes were always just ahead of the game."
One of those special players that stood out from the pack even at a young age, Boyle was widely recruited. Not only was he a brilliant athlete, Boyle was also very strong academically.
"Ryan was a fabulous recruit," Tierney said. "Everyone knew about Ryan when he was in the ninth grade — he was the premier recruit. It was just a mad scramble trying to get him."
Fortunately for the Tigers, Boyle ended up at Princeton in the fall of 2000. Playing in the spring of 2001 as a freshman attackman, he notched some impressive statistics that helped bring his team to a national championship.
Boyle finished his freshman year ranked 27th in men's lacrosse in scoring, averaging 3.53 points per game. In that season alone, however he notched 16 goals and 37 assists — a number that, even as a freshman, put him in third place for total assists tallied in Division I.
For those feats, Boyle earned the award for Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
Moreover, one of his most famous plays came in his banner rookie year. Playing in overtime in the national championship game against Syracuse, Boyle broke free of his man behind the crease and managed to wind around the cage, firing a quick pass to B.J. Prager '02 on the crease, who rifled the shot into the back of the net for Princeton's sixth national championship.
That play exemplified how Boyle was often a behind-the-scenes player, helping his team to win without necessarily being the most visible goal scorer on the team.
"He was always capable of doing the extreme," Tierney said. "A lot of his really big time plays, not that they went unnoticed, but he made the difficult look very simple."
He was, in his coach's words, a workhorse all-around player.
"His skills were very sound," Tierney said. "His stick was always straight up ... he didn't particularly shoot very hard [or] he didn't feed very hard, [but] he never got the ball taken from him."
Though the Tigers have not won a championship since Boyle's freshman year in 2001, Boyle led Princeton to several more highlight seasons. In his senior year, Boyle helped the Tigers upset favorite Maryland in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, scoring two unassisted goals and landing an assist on the game-winning goal for a come-from-behind win.
That team narrowly lost to Navy in the semifinal game, but it was a memorable run nonetheless.
Indeed, it is for memories like those that Boyle stands out in the pantheon of Princeton athletic gods.
In yesterday's paper: No. 18: Chris Ahrens '98
In tomorrow's paper: No. 16: Geoff Petrie '70
Read the full series
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.