Princeton University Athletics
Tierney Leads Princeton To Ivy League Title
April 29, 2000 | Men's Lacrosse
April 29, 2000
Hanover, N.H. - Trevor Tierney made 16 saves while allowing two goals to lead Princeton to a 10-7 win over Dartmouth.
Princeton led 9-1 after three quarters and 10-2 early in the fourth quarter before the Big Green scored the final five goals of the day. The Tigers were playing without B.J. Prager, their leading scorer, who tore his ACL last weekend against Cornell.
The victory gave Princeton its sixth straight Ivy League championship and its eighth in the last nine years. The Tigers finished their league season at 6-0 while outscoring their league opponents 36-7 in the first half.
"The Ivy League championship is always our first goal, and it's always special," said Princeton senior Chris Berrier, who helped lead the Tiger Class of 2000 to a 24-0 all-time league record. "It's not something we'd ever take for granted."
Fifth-ranked Princeton, which won its 31st straight league game, improved to 9-2 overall with a regular season game at Hobart next Saturday and the NCAA tournament remaining. Dartmouth fell to 5-8, 0-5. "The league title means a lot," Berrier said. "To go undefeated in the league for four years is an accomplishment that I'm very proud of. This year was tough. The league has a lot of tradition, and the teams have gotten better. This is a great feeling."
Dartmouth scored the first goal of the day one minute into the game, but the Big Green did not score again until 1:26 into the fourth quarter, a span of 45:26. By then Princeton had scored nine unanswered to take complete control. Dartmouth had many chances in the middle of the game, but Tierney made several key saves.
"I don't think it was a 10-7 game," said Dartmouth coach Rick Sowell, "but I don't think it was a 9-1 game either."
Ryan Mollett evened the game at 1-1 eight minutes into the first quarter, and Owen Daly put the Tigers ahead with four minutes remaining. Princeton scored three times in the second quarter to build the lead to 5-1 at halftime.
"The Ivy League as a lot of established rivalries, and the teams have been playing for the championship for a long time," Daly said. "There aren't a lot of leagues like that. It's something that makes Ivy League lacrosse special."
Sean Hartofilis, Brendan Tierney and Josh Sims scored two goals each for Princeton, while Ross Johnson and Scott Roslyn scored twice each for Dartmouth.
Princeton outshot the Big Green 38-31.
"It's a great thing to go undefeated in the league five straight years," said Princeton coach Bill Tierney. "It's a great accomplishment. You have to give credit to Dartmouth. They didn't quit. This is a tough trip, and we're happy to get out with a win."
Princeton (9-2, 6-0) 2 3 4 1 10 Dartmouth (5-8, 0-5) 1 0 0 6 7
Scoring Princeton -- Brendan Tierney 2 goals-no assists, Sean Hartofilis 2-0, Josh Sims 2-0, Owen Daly 1-0, Ryan Mollett 1-0, Ryan O'Shaughnessy 1-0, Mark Pelligrino 1-0, Billy Whitridge 0-1, Matt Bailer 0-1, Josh White 0-1, Chris Berrier 0-1, Chris Harrington 0-1, Matt Striebel 0-1. Dartmouth -- Ross Johnson 2-0, Scott Roslyn 2-0, Greg Edell 1-2, Will Hiesinger 1-0, Georges Dyer 1-0, Jeremy Desor 0-3.
Goalies Princeton -- Trevor Tierne 51 minutes, two goals-against, 16 saves, Willis Wu nine minutes, five goals-against, two saves Dartmouth -- Patrick McClammer 60 minutes, 10 goals-against, 14 saves