Quick Hits: Lacrosse team tops Cornell, clinches sole possession of Ivy title

In a game it led from start to finish, the men’s lacrosse team trampled Cornell in a 14-9 victory. The win clinches the sole possession of the Ivy League regular-season title and the right to host the four-team Ivy playoff for the Tigers, undefeated in conference play. Here are our highlights from the game:

-Lockdown defense: In what could have been the final home game of their college careers, Princeton’s defensive stars stifled the Cornell offense. Defenseman Chad Wiedmaier paved the way with three caused turnovers and held attackman Steve Mock without a point. Long-stick midfielder John Cunningham, as he is wont to do, scooped up a team-high seven ground balls while playing the wing on face-offs. Playing again without star attackman Rob Pannell – the senior broke a bone in his left foot earlier this year and hasn't played since – the Big Red struggled to find a consistent method of scoring and were held well below their 12.5 goal average. Goalie Tyler Fiorito had the best highlight of the night, and maybe of the season, after he left the cage to defend an attackman behind the goal. The attackman passed to teammate Mock who fired a shot on an open goal, but Fiorito dove in front of the cage to make a remarkable save with his outstretched stick.

-Trio of seniors adds one: Senior attackman Alex Capretta made a claim to expand the trio of seniors into a quartet with a career-high five goals. The senior with a laser shot scored the first goal of the game as the Tigers raced out to a 3-0 lead, and the Big Red never came back. Capretta's best shot may have been his fourth, a high-to-low lefty rip between goalie A.J. Fiore’s legs late in the third quarter. Most importantly, Capretta remained highly efficient while firing away, scoring five on eight total shots.

-Tigers clinch home playoff, NCAAs? The win completes a perfect 6-0 Ivy season, two games ahead of any other team in the conference. Next week, lacrosse fans will keep their eyes trained on Princeton, as Class of 1952 Stadium will host the four-team league playoff, the winner of which will have a guaranteed spot in the NCAA playoffs. In addition, the victory over Cornell should give Princeton enough ammo to garner an at-large bid, should the Tigers lose in the tournament. It would be difficult for the NCAA committee to keep out a regular-season champion that has won eight of its last nine games.

The four-team tournament is made up of Brown, Yale, Cornell, and Princeton. Princeton will host Brown at 8 on Friday, and the winner will play the Yale-Cornell victor on Sunday at noon.