Princeton University Athletics
Syracuse Overwhelms Princeton, 16-4
April 23, 2000 | Men's Lacrosse
April 23, 2000
Michael Springer scored five goals and Ryan Powell had one goal and six assists to lead second-ranked Syracuse to a commanding 16-4 win over No. 4 Princeton in front of 4,743 fans, the largest crowd in the history of the Class of 1952 Stadium.
"We might not have played a perfect game," said Powell, who set a stadium record for assists, "but it was close."
Syracuse (10-1) led 6-1 at the end of the first quarter and 10-2 at intermission.
"We were down 6-1 and then 10-2," said Princeton coach Bill Tierney. "And that was because of what the other team was doing."
Princeton (8-2) and Syracuse each played the day before at Class of '52 Stadium. Princeton defeated Cornell Saturday to win its sixth straight Ivy League championship, while Syracuse defeated Penn 9-4.
"It was tough for them to play a very physical game against Cornell and come back and play the next again," said Syracuse coach John Desko. "And I thought we played very well. We had to control the ball, and we were able to do that. We knew Princeton plays great team defense, and we had to do a good job of getting shots on the back side, which we did." Princeton was playing without two starters who were injured in the Cornell game. B.J. Prager, the team's leading goal scorer, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, while defenseman Brian Lieberman had a separated shoulder. Prager had scored 23% of Princeton's goals on the season, including 16 of Princeton's last 52.
"I'd like to think that when you lose two guys like that, it hurts you," Tierney said. "But there's also something physical there. We have to get better, no doubt about it."
Princeton's two losses have come by a combined total of 31-12 against Virginia and Syracuse, the two top-ranked teams in the country. The loss to Syracuse was Princeton's worst since a 20-8 loss to Johns Hopkins in 1990.
The game was scoreless for the first 5:16, but Syracuse scored three times in a 1:09 span to take control. After Owen Daly scored for the Tigers, Syracuse began to break the game open with three more goals in a 2:48 span near the end of the quarter.
The lead grew to 7-1 and 10-2 at intermission. Princeton's Josh Sims scored the first goal of the second half, but Syracuse answered with four straight.
In addition to Powell and Springer, Syracuse got two goals and two assists each from Devin Darcangelo and Liam Banks. Josh Coffman added one goal and two assists.
Syracuse outshot Princeton 44-27 and had an overwhelming 19-5 edge in face-offs won. Trevor Tierney made 20 saves in goal for Princeton.
Powell finished his weekend at Princeton with two goals and 11 assists, while Springer scored nine goals in the two games.
Syracuse (10-1) 6 4 3 3 16
Princeton (8-2) 1 1 1 1 4
Princeton Scoring
Goals -- Owen Daly 1, Brendan Tierney 1, Josh Sims 1, Jake Kenney 1
Assists -- Matt Striebel 2, Josh White 1, Chris Harrington 1
Syracuse Scoring
Goals -- Michael Springer 5, Tim Byrnes 3, Devin Darcangelo 2, Liam Banks 2, Ryan Powell 1, Josh Coffman 1, Ethan Mills 1, Joe Russell 1
Assists -- Ryan Powell 6 (Class of 1952 Stadium record), Josh Coffman 2, Devin Darcangelo 2, Liam Banks 2
Goalies
Princeton -- Trevor Tierney 57 minutes, 14 goals-against, 20 saves, Willis Wu 3 minutes, 1 goal-against, no saves
Syracuse -- Rob Mulligan 56 minutes, 3 goals-against, 10 saves, Bob Rust 4 minutes, 1 goal-against, no saves
Shots Syracuse 44, Princeton 27
Ground Balls Syracuse 42, Princeton 17
Extra Man Syracuse 0 for 3, Princeton 1 for 6
Penalties Syracuse 6 for 6:00, Princeton 3 for 3:00
Face-0ffs Syracuse 19 for 24, Princeton 5 for 24
Attendance 4,743 (Class of 1952 Stadium record)