Princeton University Athletics
Re-Lax
May 31, 2001 | Men's Lacrosse
May 31, 2001
It's a streak that began with Scott Bacigalupo, included Scott Reinhardt and Scott Conklin and continues today with Scott Farrell. It counts 5-9 Taylor Simmers, 5-9 Jon Hess and 5-9 B.J. Prager among its key contributors. It wouldn't have been possible without private school kids like Gilman School grads from David Gaines to Corey Popham to Lorne Smith to Damien Davis and public school kids like Garden City High's line from Nick Lane to Chris Massey to again Prager. In all it includes 161 different Princeton University lacrosse players from 13 classes, and it spreads over 10 glorious years of lacrosse success. From an 11-10 win over Maryland in the 1992 quarterfinals through Prager's overtime goal against Syracuse this past Memorial Day, Princeton's men's lacrosse team has won 11 straight one-goal NCAA tournament games. That's 11 straight. During that same 10-year span, no other team has won more than three one-goal NCAA games (Maryland and Syracuse), let alone 11, let alone 11 consecutively. In fact, there have been 27 one-goal NCAA tournament games since 1992, Princeton has won 11 of those. Since Princeton's streak started, only two other schools, Syracuse (20) and Virginia (12), have won as many as 11 NCAA tournament games, by any margin of victory. The most remarkable part of Princeton's streak is that it has survived the complete turnover of the roster on several occasions. Freshman Ryan Boyle, who assisted on Prager's OT goal against Syracuse, was in fourth grade when the streak started. Conversely, Justin Tortolani, an All-America in 1992, is currently 32 years old and an orthopedic surgeon.. The 11 wins have come in all sorts of ways. Princeton has had big leads slip away, only to score the winning goal either late in the game or in overtime (Towson, Syracuse this year, both championship game wins over Virginia). The Tigers have come from way back (vs. Syracuse in the 1998 semifinals). There have been nip-and-tuck games throughout (Loyola this year). Of course, the constant through all of these years has been the coaching of head man Bill Tierney, top assistant David Metzbower and volunteer assistant Bryce Chase. Princeton lacrosse is often accused of being a product of Tierney's system, that it produces players who are somewhat robotic. If that was true, then Princeton would be at its worst during close games, since its players would be unable to react to any changing situation. Perhaps Princeton's success during these games is more attributable to the belief that everyone in the program has in everyone else in the program. When it starts to get tough, that belief makes a big difference. ***
One of the most amazing parts of the lacrosse Final Four is the way it differs from the game during the regular season. If you're playing in the men's basketball Final Four or in a major Division I-A bowl game in football, the pressure of what you're playing for might change, but the atmosphere itself is still pretty similar (large stadium, packed arena, etc.). In lacrosse, teams are used to playing their regular-season games either on smaller, made-for-lacrosse facilities or in empty football stadiums. In the Final Four, though, it's all different. Whether its Byrd Stadium in Maryland or Rutgers Stadium, the venue itself is much larger, and the crowd increases in size more than 10 times from the regular season. For players who have never been through it, it can be a downright frightening experience. Certainly the expansion of the stadium and the accompanying noise increases the tension of the event, especially when it gets to the end of a close championship game. That's just one more reason that Princeton's success in close NCAA tournament games is amazing.
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Princeton has now won six national championships in 10 years, four of which have come in overtime. For the record, the overtime goal-scorers are Andy Moe (1992 vs. Syracuse), Kevin Lowe (1994 vs. Virginia), Jesse Hubbard (1996 vs. Virginia) and B.J. Prager (2001 vs. Syracuse). Aside from Princeton's wins, there have been only four other times that the NCAA championship game has gone into overtime. Those winners were Maryland over Johns Hopkins (1973), Cornell over Maryland (1976), Johns Hopkins over Virginia (1980) and North Carolina over Virginia (1986). In Princeton's two wins over Syracuse, both teams had multiple possessions before the Tigers scored. In Princeton's two wins over Virginia, the Tigers won the face-off, called timeout to set up a play and scored without ever giving up possession. Moe's goal came unassisted. The other three feeders were Jeff MacBean to Lowe, Lorne Smith to Hubbard and Ryan Boyle to Prager.
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Princeton has won six national championships and played in the championship game one other time. The Tigers have been the No. 1 seed twice in that time and have won the championship both of those years (1996, 1997). Princeton has won two titles as the No. 3 seed (1992, 1994) and two as the No. 2 seed (1998, 2001). Princeton was runner-up in 2000 as the No. 3 seed and fell in the semifinals in 1993 and quarterfinals in 1991 as the No. 2 seed.
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Perhaps the most overlooked play of the championship game was the clear that set up the winning goal. Ryan Mollett took the ball in one corner behind Princeton's goal and reversed it all the way across the field to freshman Ricky Schultz, who then split two Syracuse riders to get the ball to Chris Harrington, who brought it across midfield. Princeton had nine unsuccessful clears against Syracuse in the title game, had Schultz not made his big play, the entire outcome might have been different.
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Princeton will certainly feel graduation losses like Trevor Tierney, Ryan Mollett, Rob Torti, Matt Striebel, Winship Ross, Matt Bailer and Chris Harrington. Still, consider a lineup of Sean Hartofilis, Ryan Boyle and Jason Doneger, a midfield with Brad Dumont, Owen Daly, Will MacColl, Drew Casino and Josh White and a defense of Damien Davis, Brian Lieberman, Joe Rosenbaum and Ricky Schultz with Julian Gould as the goalie. If that sounds like it could win some games, consider that every member of that group has at least two years of eligibility remaining.
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Who was the most improved player on the Princeton team from last year to this? Usually such a designation doesn't take into consideration players who were already highly regarded who raised their game to another level (Ryan Mollett, Trevor Tierney). You could certainly make a case for either one of them, as well as Sean Hartofilis. Still, there are two players who leap out as most worthy of this distinction. First, there is Rob Torti, who had 17 goals and 12 assists as a senior after having 24 goals and five assists his first three years combined. A year ago, Torti was more of a defensive-minded middie, and he spent almost the entire 2000 season slowed by injuries. At the same time, Will MacColl spent the 2000 season way down on the end of the bench, and he wasn't even among the 32 players on the active squad for the NCAA tournament games. This year, MacColl scored eight goals and had three assists, with two goals and an assist in the NCAA tournament games. When Princeton won the face-off in overtime against Syracuse, the Tigers called timeout to set up a play. When they came out of the timeout, the ball was in MacColl's stick.
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Owen Daly and Brad Dumont have combined for 10 goals and four assists in six NCAA tournament games (2.3 points per game). During the 24 regular-season games they have played, they have combined for 25 goals and 11 assists (1.5 points per game).
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When Ryan Boyle assisted on B.J. Prager's overtime goal against Syracuse, it was the 20th time this season that Prager had scored on an assist from Boyle. Prager finished the season with 36 goals, while Boyle finished with 37 assists.
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Scott Farrell guarded Syracuse's Michael Springer in the championship game and held him to no goals and three shots. Springer had nine goals in three games against Princeton prior to that. Liam Banks, the MVP of the 2000 championship game after his six goals against Princeton, had no goals and two shots in the 2001 title game.
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B.J. Prager was held without a goal against Loyola in the quarterfinals, ending his consecutive game scoring streak at 31 straight. Still, he will enter the 2002 season with the longest streak on the team, two straight. Sean Hartofilis had his own 18-game streak snapped in the championship game, though he did have a goal disallowed on an offsides call. Hartofilis has scored nine goals in two NCAA semifinal games and 14 goals in six NCAA games.
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Princeton's road to the national title was identical this year and in 1998. In both seasons, Princeton finished the regular year as a unanimous No. 1 in the coaches' poll before being seeded second in the tournament. The Tigers then had a week off before playing in the quarterfinals at Hofstra, followed by the Final Four at Rutgers. Just for good measure, you can factor in that each time, Princeton had to play the final after losing a key defender to injury in the semifinal. In 1998, it was Christian Cook (torn ACL). In 2001, it was Kyle Baugher (broken arm).
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Speaking of Rutgers' campus, Princeton has won 11 straight games in Piscataway, six in the NCAA tournament and five against the Scarlet Knights. Princeton's last loss at Rutgers came in a 1993 regular-season game against North Carolina that was moved to Piscataway due to snow.
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Matt Striebel finished his career seventh all-time at Princeton with 74 assists. He also had a career-high 17 goals this season.
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Ryan Boyle had 37 assists and 53 points as a freshman, he trailed only Kevin Lowe (43 assists, 55 points in 1991) among first-year Tiger players. Boyle became the first freshman since Lowe in 1991 to lead the team in scoring, and his 37 assists were seventh in a single-season at Princeton, trailing only Jon Hess (twice) and Kevin Lowe (four times).
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Princeton will enter the 2002 season with 37 straight Ivy League wins. The all-time league record is 39 straight, set by Cornell from 1972-79.