Both the Tigers (4-0) and the Retrievers (3-2) came into the matchup Friday evening at UMBC Stadium averaging more than 13 goals per game, but their defenses overshadowed their offensive counterparts.
“We still found a way to win,” head coach Bill Tierney said. “When you can show you can win games in different fashions, you’ve got something going.”
Senior midfielder Mark Kovler scored the lone goal of the first period after freshman goalie Tyler Fiorito made a pair of saves in less than 40 seconds. The Tigers patiently tested the UMBC defense until Kovler made good on his chance to put Princeton up 1-0 halfway through the period.
The Retrievers started to pick up some momentum in the second period after scoring two goals thanks to a pair of extra-man opportunities. Fortunately for Princeton, Fiorito played spectacularly in the second half, making six saves. The Retrievers’ goalie, Jeremy Blevins, was equally impressive with five saves of his own.
In the third period, the Tigers solved the UMBC defense. Princeton ran off four straight early in the third quarter over a span of 3:49. After junior midfielder Paul Barnes won yet another faceoff, Kovler hit sophomore attack Chris McBride to pull Princeton even with the Retrievers.
With Barnes winning faceoff after faceoff, the Tigers picked up the pace. Senior midfielder Rich Sgalardi, sophomore attack Jack McBride and Kovler chipped in during the blistering run.
Chris McBride capped off the 5-0 run with his second goal of the evening, scoring at 3:19 following a successful clear attempt to put the Tigers up 6-2.
After recording only 12 shots in the first two periods combined, Princeton scorched Blevins with 14 shots in the third period. When the offense didn’t have possession, the defense was stifling. The Retrievers only took three shots in the third period, and Fiorito snuffed out all of them.
The score held steady at 6-3 for most of the fourth period, but the action picked up in the final two minutes of play. Poillon set up attack Ryan Smith for a driving attempt with 1:24 to go, cutting the Princeton lead to 6-4. UMBC won the ensuing faceoff — only its second successful faceoff of the night — and quickly struck net to pull within one at 6-5.
But Barnes, who won 13 of 15 faceoffs on the night, came up with his biggest draw control of the game. Princeton cleared and held possession until a turnover with seven seconds left, and the Retrievers’ desperate long-range pass was swatted away.
The Tigers returned home, but they didn’t have much time to rest as the unranked Jaspers came to town. After struggling to score against UMBC, Princeton opened the floodgates on Manhattan (1-3).
The Tigers led 4-2 at the end of the first quarter, but Manhattan was able to pull within one to make the score 5-4 midway through the second. Senior attack Tommy Davis then took command, pushing the margin back to two. Princeton never looked back on its way to an 8-4 halftime lead.
The Tigers sealed the game after a strong third-period performance in which Manhattan failed to record a single shot. Four more Princeton goals pushed the score to 12-4. Davis scored a career-high five goals and recorded two assists in the game, in which he became the 21st player Princeton history to get past 100 points.
“It’s definitely a special milestone in my career, but it can’t be all put on my shoulders,” Davis said. “I played with a lot of great players throughout my four years here, and they’ve helped a ton. They get a lot of credit for that.”
Junior attack Rob Engelke, who started in place of Jack McBride, scored three goals in the win.
Junior goalie Nikhil Ashra picked up the win for the Tigers after taking over for Fiorito about eight minutes into the contest. He made four saves and gave up five goals in the victory.
Head coach Bill Tierney used his full bench, giving every healthy Tiger playing time.
It was the perfect time for a blowout victory, considering the high-intensity effort given less than 48 hours earlier.
At 4-0, Princeton is off to its best start since its undefeated 1997 NCAA Championship season.
“I think we can be special, but I also think we’ve got a long way to go,” Tierney said.
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