The Big Red got off to a fast start, just as it did roughly a year ago when it defeated Princeton 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Cornell attackman Chris Ritchie struck first, slipping the ball past sophomore goalie Tyler Fiorito to give the Big Red an early 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the quarter. Attackman Ryan Hurley, Cornell’s leading goal scorer, quickly followed suit with a goal of his own to put the Tigers in a 2-0 hole.
The Big Red continued to dominate in the remainder of the first quarter, winning faceoff after faceoff to maintain almost continuous possession of the ball. Cornell won four of five faceoffs in the first quarter, while Princeton managed to only win one. The consequences of the Tigers’ poor faceoff play were reflected in the two teams’ shot totals for the quarter: While Cornell took 12 shots, the Tigers managed only four.
By the time the second stanza began, the Big Red held a 4-0 lead and Princeton — which had not been held scoreless for an entire quarter since its 13-4 loss to Syracuse — looked simply overwhelmed. The Tigers did not show any signs of life until 5 minutes, 40 seconds into the quarter, when freshman midfielder Mike Chanenchuk scored the 25th goal of his collegiate career to put Princeton on the board.
Though some sloppy play from the Tigers allowed Cornell to create both a man-up opportunity and a goal, the second quarter belonged squarely to Princeton. After struggling with faceoffs in the first session, the Tigers turned the tables on the Big Red in the second, winning four faceoffs to Cornell’s one. Princeton’s improved faceoff play allowed the team to possess the ball for longer periods of time, which in turn allowed the squad to create more goal-scoring opportunities. In addition to Chanenchuk’s goal, the Tigers were able to convert two other scoring chances to make the score 5-3 at the end of the first half.
The steadiness did not last long, however, as Princeton began the second half making the same sloppy mistakes that had characterized its first quarter play. Just as the Tigers had struggled with their shot selection against Syracuse, they again appeared rushed and frenetic. A series of missed shots by Princeton players opened the door for the Big Red, who tallied three goals in the first eight minutes of the quarter to make the score 8-3. A late goal by Cornell midfielder David Lau gave the Big Red a 9-3 advantage as the third quarter ended.
Throughout the session, Princeton’s offense was once again uncharacteristically quiet. Jack and Chris McBride — the junior attackmen cousins who have typically been thought of as the cornerstones of the Tigers’ front line — did not register a single point between them in the first three quarters of the game.
At the start of the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Tigers would need a miracle to get back into the game — and for a short while, it looked as if that was exactly what they were going to get.
Chanenchuk began Princeton’s improbable run when he whipped a high-to-high shot past Cornell goalie AJ Fiore to make the score 9-4.
Forty seconds later, senior midfielder Scott Mackenzie notched his seventh goal of the season to cut the Big Red’s lead to four. Mackenzie scored again with 8:57 remaining to make the score 9-6.
Princeton’s scoring run continued as Jack McBride made a smooth pass to senior attackman Rob Engelke, who then unhesitatingly put the ball in the back of the net.
After some loose defending from the Tigers allowed Cornell midfielder Roy Lang to slip the ball past Fiorito for the Big Red’s 10th goal, Chanenchuk once again roared to life, scoring his third goal of the game with 4:56 remaining to make the score 10-8.
The goal was Chanenchuk’s 27th and cemented his status as the highest scoring freshman in Princeton history.
With just less than five minutes left to play, the Tigers began showing an intensity and focus that had been lacking throughout the game. With roughly three minutes left, sophomore attackman Alex Capretta whipped the ball past the Big Red’s Fiore to make what seemed like a surefire Cornell victory into a one-goal game.
Though a 10th goal and an overtime period were within reach, the Tigers were unable to stay alive.
Their best hope came in the form of an on-target shot from Jack McBride that was easily saved by the Big Red’s goalie with less than a minute remaining.
Though the Tigers possessed the ball as time wound down, shots from Chanenchuk and freshman midfielder Jeff Froccaro sailed high and time expired.
Because of the loss, Princeton will receive the second seed in the inaugural Ivy League tournament and will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., next Friday for its first-round game against Yale.
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