Men's Lacrosse: Win earns share of Ivy title

Princeton (12-2 overall, 5-1 Ivy League) exploded for seven second-quarter goals against Brown (12-3, 4-2) goalie Jordan Burke — arguably the best at his position in the country and the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year — without surrendering a single shot on its own goal. Brown did not get on the board until the nine-minute, 47-second mark of the third quarter.

Though the Bears outscored Princeton 7-4 in the second half, they never came within less than four, and Princeton walked away with an 11-7 victory.

“Our defense played great,” freshman goalie Tyler Fiorito said. “The past two weeks we’ve been scrambling well, we’ve been sliding hard, and we’ve been doing everything right. Two weeks ago we sat down and said this is about us, this is about pride, and we really wanted to bear down and take pride in what we do as a defense.”

The win earned Princeton a split of its first Ivy League title since 2006.

“It’s an achievement in and of itself,” head coach Bill Tierney said. “Now these kids will never go home empty handed, and it launches you into the next phase.”

Neither team was able to find the net in the first quarter. Princeton won the opening faceoff, but Burke saved junior midfielder Scott Mackenzie’s shot.

Fiorito countered with his first save on a shot from Brown midfielder Brady Williams. The teams continued to trade possessions.

Senior defenseman and tri-captain Chris Peyser ended consecutive Brown possessions with caused turnovers.

Later in the quarter, Peyser was flagged for a cross check, but senior short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Lesko caused a turnover to kill the penalty.

Princeton survived another man-down chance before Brown took over possession with 3:28 left in the period. The Bears took six shots to end the quarter, but not a single one was on goal.

On the Tigers’ first possession of the second period, senior attack Tommy Davis found senior midfielder and tri-captain Greg Seaman streaking across the face of the goal. Seaman fired a shot past Burke, and the Tigers were on the board.

Princeton junior midfielder Paul Barnes won the ensuing faceoff, and, on the ensuing break, Davis rocketed home his 24th goal of the season on a feed from senior midfielder Rich Sgalardi. Brown won the next faceoff and looked to be in position to draw within one, but Bears attack Jack Walsh’s shot hit the post.

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Freshman defenseman Chad Wiedmaier picked up the ground ball and passed to Lesko. The converted offensive midfielder carried the ball coast-to-coast before firing a laser into the bottom right corner of the net. It was Princeton’s third goal in a span of 2:04.

“Josh’s goal was huge, and that’s why he’s playing that spot,” Tierney said. “He gives us so much in transition, and then he can finish. That was a hell of a shot. He stuck that thing in that lower corner. I think it just lifted everyone into being confident that we could get some more.”

After the teams traded possessions, Princeton got three more quick ones. First, sophomore attack Jack McBride got on the board.

McBride looped around the left side of the cage and beat Burke to the top right corner of the goal. Brown won the ensuing faceoff, but junior short-stick defensive midfielder Jimmy Davis forced a turnover.

On the ensuing fast break, Mackenzie fed McBride, who stung the top right corner again from a narrow angle five yards to the left of the goal.

Barnes won the next faceoff, cleared the ball himself, then beat Burke to his right. It was the Tigers’ sixth goal of the period. Last season, Princeton scored only five goals against Burke.

“[Associate head coach David Metzbower] really does a good job figuring out the other team’s defense,” Tierney said. “I think he understood who Brown was, and you’re playing on Astroturf; you’re not playing on grass. It’s a huge difference playing up there.”

On Brown’s next possession, Princeton was flagged twice in a span of 17 seconds, but the Tigers killed both penalties. The Bears’ possession ended when midfielder Reade Seligmann hit the post. Princeton struck quickly, as senior midfielder Mark Kovler fired a low shot through Burke’s five hole on a feed from Sgalardi.

Neither team scored again before halftime.

Brown won the first faceoff of the second half but was unable to capitalize. The Bears did force a save out of Fiorito, who hadn’t made a save or surrendered a goal for 28:28. Fiorito triggered the transition offense and, a few seconds later, Tommy Davis scored his second of the game on a feed from senior short-stick defensive midfielder and tri-captain Brendan Reilly.

At the 9:47 mark of the quarter, Brown finally got on the board when attack Thomas Muldoon scored his 30th goal of the season on a man-up chance.

Muldoon scored again three minutes later, but the Tigers countered with a goal of their own when Seaman scored his second of the game on a feed from junior attack Rob Engelke. Attack Andrew Feinberg and Williams got two more for the Bears before the quarter ended.

In the fourth quarter, the teams alternated goals twice. Brown opened the scoring when Muldoon notched his second man-up goal of the game.

But the Tigers answered when sophomore attack Chris McBride took a feed from Jack McBride and caught the same top-right corner that Chris McBride hit twice previously.

After the Bears responded with a goal of their own, the teams traded possessions before Wiedmaier got on the board for the first time in his young career.

Caught on the offensive end after a clear, Wiedmaier kept his poise and played within the flow of the offense, scoring unassisted following a smooth run across the front of the goal from eight yards out.

Brown scored one more goal before the game ended.

Tommy Davis and Jack McBride led the Princeton offense. Both finished with two goals and an assist and both now have 41 points on the season.

Seaman finished with two goals, while Chris McBride and Kovler contributed one goal each. Sgalardi finished with two assists and Reilly, Engelke and Mackenzie each notched one.

Lesko finished with a goal, five ground balls and a caused turnover. Barnes won 14 of 22 faceoffs, picked up four groundballs and scored one goal.

Defensively, Peyser led the way with a ground ball and three caused turnovers. Cunningham finished with three groundballs and a caused turnover, and Wiedmaier finished with four groundballs and a caused turnover, though his four penalties had him one infraction away from fouling out. Fiorito saved nine of the 16 shots on goal he faced.

“We have some great cover guys in Chad Wiedmaier, [junior defenseman] Jeremy Hirsch and [senior defenseman] Charlie Kolkin,” Peyser said. “And then our short sticks are two of the best in the country. [Sophomore defenseman] Long Ellis playing short stick and pole; John Cunningham playing pole. You’ve got those guys being able to cover very well, and, with Tyler in the goal, you give up a shot, but you’re very comfortable; you can come out and press out and play aggressively.”

Offensively, Brown was led by Muldoon, who finished with three goals on 15 shots. Feinberg added two goals, while Williams and midfielder Nic Bell notched individual goals.

Seligmann finished with three goals, while Walsh and attack Kyle Hollingsworth finished with an assist apiece. Burke saved nine of the 20 shots on goal he faced.

With the victory, Princeton has shut out its opponent in the first half while scoring seven goals of its own in two consecutive games. Additionally, the Tigers finished the year 5-0 against teams to whom they lost last season.

Brown’s coaching staff brought the Ivy League championship trophy to the game, and they turned it over to Princeton afterwards.

“It means a lot,” Tierney said. “It was really classy of Brown to bring the trophy with them and to turn it over right away like that. They really didn’t have to do that. We haven’t been on that trophy since 2006. When we broke it out in the locker room, a lot of our kids have never seen that before except our seniors.”

During the NCAA selection show on Sunday evening, the Tigers were named the No. 4 seed in the tournament. They will face Massachusetts on Sunday, May 10 at 5 p.m. in front of a home crowd at Class of 1952 Stadium.

If the Tigers win, they will face the winner of the matchup between Cornell and Hofstra on the Pride’s home turf in Hempstead, N.Y. Hofstra and the Big Red were the only two squads to defeat Princeton this season.

A win in the quarterfinals would put the Tigers in the Final Four for the first time since 2004.