Men's Lacrosse: Tigers fight off Rutgers

The rain that poured down just as halftime ended at Class of 1952 Stadium on Tuesday night was a good omen for the men’s lacrosse team, as the Tiger goals that poured in during a two-minute stretch of the third quarter irreversibly switched the momentum in Princeton’s favor.

No. 5 Princeton (8-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) trailed Route 1-rival Rutgers (5-5) 4-2 after a lethargic performance in the first half, in which the Tigers were outshot 22-13. The Scarlet Knights’ Mike Diehl increased the margin to three just 54 seconds into the third quarter, but freshman midfielder Mike Chanenchuk — the only Tiger to get on the scoreboard in the first half — provided the spark Princeton had been waiting for with 9:30 left in the quarter. A clever hesitation move freed Chanenchuk from his defenseman and enabled him to slip a shot past Rutgers goalkeeper William Olin to make the score 5-3.

Junior attackman Jack McBride decreased the Tiger deficit to one at 7:52 on a powerful right-handed shot.

Seventeen seconds later, sophomore long-stick defenseman John Cunningham rounded out the scoring barrage by burying a shot that tied the game at five goals apiece.

Despite trading goals with Rutgers throughout the remainder of the game, Princeton would go on to win the nailbiter by a score of 10-8.

Jack McBride joined Chanenchuk in tallying a hat trick, and freshman midfielder Jeff Froccaro, junior attackman Chris McBride and senior attackman Rob Engelke each scored once.

Both teams sought to rebound after demoralizing performances last weekend, when the Tigers fell 13-4 to two-time defending national champion Syracuse and the Scarlet Knights were defeated by Jacksonville, 17-10.

Sophomore goalie Tyler Fiorito played a crucial part in restoring Princeton’s confidence, as his performance enabled the Tigers to stay afloat during the first half. Fiorito finished the evening with 14 saves and an assist.

“Every game, I’m never worried about Tyler,” Jack McBride said. “He’s always going to give it everything he’s got. He’s the backbone of the team. The way he goes is the way we’re going to go, so as long as he’s playing well, we’re going to play well. Whenever he makes a save, it inspires everyone.”

Many of the statistics went in the Scarlet Knights’ favor, but extra-man opportunities proved to be the decisive factor in the competition, as Rutgers failed to capitalize on seven man-advantage situations.

This was partially due to Fiorito’s performance between the pipes and a staunch effort by the Tiger defense, but the Princeton attack equally punished the Scarlet Knights for their inability to convert by scoring twice on man-down opportunities, with both goals coming in the fourth quarter.

Chris McBride netted one at 13:17 to give Princeton not only its first man-down goal of the season but also its first lead of the game at 7-6.

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Jack McBride followed suit less than five minutes later to increase the margin to two after collecting a long clear from Fiorito.

While the score certainly ended in the Tigers’ favor, the overall performance was lackluster.

Princeton has continuously proven its ability to dig itself out of an early hole throughout the season, and there seemed to be no doubt tonight that the Tigers would connect on a quick slew of goals like that of the third quarter to come away with a win.

Upping the tempo against a Rutgers team that sought to slow the pace and have multi-shot possessions ended up being enough on Tuesday night, but as the season winds down, Princeton will have to find a way to make a statement from the first whistle.

The Tigers, the only unbeaten team in the Ivy League, will host Ancient Eight rival Dartmouth on Saturday at 1 p.m.