Men's Lacrosse: Froccaro’s goal trips Bulldogs

After eking out an overtime win against Penn last week, the men’s lacrosse team was hoping for a much smoother game against No. 20 Yale when it traveled to New Haven, Conn., on Saturday. While the team did get a victory, it didn’t get its wish. Princeton (6-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) needed a late-game goal for the second consecutive time before it was finally able to secure a 7-6 win.

Unlike in its previous games, Princeton was never fully able to impose itself offensively on the Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2). Though junior attackman Jack McBride got the team off to a quick start with a goal after just one minute and 13 seconds of play, Yale remained unfazed. Secure in the knowledge that they could match or even outplay the Tigers on defense, the Bulldogs played with freedom and flexibility on the attack and were unafraid to take risks.

Yale’s offensive fluidity paid dividends roughly five minutes after McBride’s goal, when midfielder Jerome Arnold notched the Bulldogs’ first point to even the score at 1-1. The first quarter continued in this back-and-forth style: A little over four minutes later, senior attackman Rob Engelke earned his eighth goal of the season to put the Tigers up 2-1. Yale attackman Matt Gibson then evened the score with a goal of his own to tie up the game just as the quarter was closing.

In the second quarter, head coach Chris Bates rotated sophomore defenseman Chad Wiedmaier into the lineup for the first time in months. Wiedmaier, who was named a second-team All-America as a freshman and was designated a preseason first-team All-America this fall, had been sidelined with a knee injury, and his absence had left a gaping hole in the Tigers’ back line.

Wiedmaier instantly made his presence felt, linking up with junior defenseman Long Ellis multiple times to put more pressure on the Yale offense. With Wiedmaier in the game, Gibson — Yale’s leading scorer — was effectively shut down, depriving the Bulldogs of perhaps their most valuable offensive asset.

Still, the Bulldogs remained resilient and continued to match Princeton goal-for-goal. Yale attackman Brian Douglass earned his 11th goal of the season with 9:28 remaining in the second quarter, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Jack McBride and junior attackman Chris McBride quickly answered, scoring within minutes of each other to put the Tigers back on top by a 4-3 margin. Princeton’s lead was short-lived, though, as Yale midfielder Matt Miller notched his fifth goal of the year to even the score at 4-4 as both teams headed into the locker room.

The third quarter was significantly quieter than the first two, as both teams were unable to find the back of the net for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Then, with 5:53 left to play in the stanza, Yale midfielder Matt Fuchs gave the Bulldogs a 5-4 lead, which remained unanswered for the rest of the period.

Regaining some of its characteristic firepower, Princeton began the final session on a tear. The McBrides once again scored back-to-back goals to make the score 6-5 in the Tigers’ favor. Though it seemed as if Princeton would pull away with the game, Yale attackman Andrew Cordia got his first goal of the season with 3:00 left in the game to even the score at 6-6.

Once again, the game was put in the hands of freshman midfielder Jeff Froccaro, who earned his 11th goal of the season with just 37 seconds left to make the score 7-6.

“Jack [McBride] drew the double [coverage],” Froccaro said of the goal. “I was wide open after that. He did all the hard work.”

Even up 7-6, the Tigers were unable to secure the win until time expired. With 14 seconds remaining, Yale’s Gibson streaked behind the goal and looked as if he would be able to create a scoring opportunity. Wiedmaier, however, read the play perfectly, meeting Gibson head-on and forcing a turnover as the game’s final seconds ticked away.

“[Gibson] had done that earlier in the game,” Wiedmaier said. “Long [Ellis] reminded me of that, and he came over to help. We both clamped down on him.”

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With difficult games coming up against No. 13 Brown and No. 3 Syracuse, the Tigers will continue to look to Wiedmaier to anchor the squad’s defensive line.

“It was great to have him back,” said sophomore goalie Tyler Fiorito, who had 15 saves in the game. “We had not played well as a defense this season, but this was a defensive-oriented game, and it was awesome to have him there playing.”