Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Travels To Face Surging Rutgers
March 24, 2003 | Men's Lacrosse
March 24, 2003
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Princeton vs. Rutgers
The site Yurcak Field * Piscataway, N.J.
The date Tuesday, March 25, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
Radio WBUD AM 1260, www.goprincetontigers.com
The records Princeton: 2-2; Rutgers: 7-0
USILA rankings Princeton: No. 3; Rutgers: No. 9
The coaches Princeton: Bill Tierney (19th season, 206-62); Rutgers: Jim Stagnitta (14th season, 145-54)
The series Princeton leads 48-28-3
Last season Princeton defeated Rutgers 16-6 * March 26, 2002
I'm honored - Princeton defenseman Damien Davis was named the Inside Lacrosse/Warrior Division I Player of the Week. Davis held Syracuse's Michael Powell, the 2002 national Player of the Year, without a goal or assist for the first time in Powell's career. Powell had four goals and three assists in last year's NCAA championship game and had 10 goals and nine assists in his first four games this season prior to Saturday. Davis also scored a key goal, tying the game 8-8 early in the fourth quarter.
Welcome back - Rutgers enters the Princeton game 7-0. The Scarlet Knights were a combined 7-13 prior to playing Princeton in the last four seasons.
Hey neighbors - Princeton and Rutgers have played every year since 1926 except for 1944 and 1945.
Hots for Tots - The winner of the Princeton-Rutgers game is awarded the Harland (Tots) Meistrell Cup, whose namesake is credited with reviving the sport as a player at both schools (Rutgers in 1919; Princeton in 1920). On the banks of the ol' Raritan - Princeton is 12-1 in games on the Rutgers campus since the 1993 season. The only loss at Rutgers in that time was to Syracuse 13-12 in last year's NCAA championship game.
Role reversal - Princeton has defeated Rutgers 13 straight times; prior to that, Rutgers had defeated Princeton nine times in 10 years.
Score-boarding - Princeton's last seven wins over Rutgers have all been by at least nine goals.
Four score - Johns Hopkins (first in this week's poll), Virginia (second), Princeton (third) and Syracuse (fifth), the four teams in the Final Four a year ago, have all played each other in the first four weeks; the six games featured four one-goal games, one two-goal game and one three-goal game.
More four - Johns Hopkins, Virginia, Princeton and Syracuse are a combined 8-0 against all other teams, with a combined score of 125-48.
Close shaves - Princeton defeated Syracuse 11-10 Saturday; Princeton's last six wins over Syracuse (since 1992) have been by a total of seven goals.
Strength of schedule - Princeton's first four games have been against Johns Hopkins (ranked first in the first USILA poll), Virginia (first at time of game), Hofstra (12th) and Syracuse (third). Princeton's next game is against Rutgers (ninth), followed by a game Saturday at No. 16 Yale.
No place like road - Princeton is 0-2 at home and 2-0 on the road through four games this season.
History lesson - Princeton is 49-1 in its last 50 games against the nine teams remaining on its schedule.
What advantage? - Princeton is 2-20 on extra-man opportunities, including 0 for 6 against Syracuse.
Coming from behind - Princeton trailed Syracuse 3-0, 4-1, 5-2 and 8-4 before rallying for the 11-10 win Saturday.
Good as Gould - Princeton goalie Julian Gould stopped a point-blank shot by Syracuse's Michael Springer as time expired to preserve the Tigers' 11-10 win Saturday.
Career oriented - Jason Doneger had a career-high five goals against Syracuse Saturday, one better than his previous career high of four goals set the week before against Hofstra.
Goal oriented - Jason Doneger has 12 goals this season after having nine for his career prior to this year. Doneger has 21 career goals and no career assists.
Aw, shoot - Jason Doneger has 12 goals on 24 shots.
Aw, shoot - Princeton had 29 goals on 76 shots (38.2%) in its wins over Hofstra and Syracuse the last two weeks after having 15 goals on 69 shots (21.7%) in its losses to Johns Hopkins and Virginia.
Brad to the bone - Brad Dumont scored Princeton's final two goals against Syracuse, including the game-winner with 2:55 to play.
Boyle-ing point - Ryan Boyle, the 2002 Ivy League Player of the Year, has at least one point in every game of his career.
More Boyle - Ryan Boyle leads Princeton in scoring (4-9-13). He has led Princeton in scoring in both of his first two seasons; the only Princeton player ever to lead the team in scoring in four straight seasons was Kevin Lowe '94.
Last Boyle - Ryan Boyle ranks seventh all-time at Princeton with 79 career assists. He needs five to tie for sixth.
You gotta have Hart-ofilis - Sean Hartofilis has 93 career goals, one away from tying for ninth all-time at Princeton and seven away from becoming the seventh player in school history with 100.
Net results - Princeton has three players who have scored at least one goal in each of the first three games: Sean Hartofilis, Jason Doneger, Brad Dumont.
History lesson - Princeton and Syracuse have met in each of the last three NCAA championship games. Only once in the history of Division I team tournaments have two teams met in more than three consecutive championship games (USC-UCLA in men's tennis from 1960-64).
Veterans day - Princeton's starting lineup features seven seniors (attackman Sean Hartofilis, middies Owen Daly, Brad Dumont and Matt Trevenen, defensemen Damien Davis and Brian Lieberman, goalie Julian Gould). In addition, starting longstick midfielder Joe Rosenbaum is also a senior.
Last veterans - Damien Davis is the only current Tiger who has started every game his career.
All that you can be - Senior midfielder Josh White spent two years in the Army out of high school and still is an active member of the reserves.
Old friends - Seniors Owen Daly, Brad Dumont and Joe Rosenbaum are in their fourth season together at Princeton after playing four years together at McDonogh School in Baltimore.
The write stuff - Longstick midfielder Joe Rosenbaum won the 2002 Ward Prize for Fiction from Princeton's creative writing department.
What's your source? - Defenseman Brian Lieberman is doing his senior psychology thesis on coaching and motivation.
Trophy case - Princeton head coach Bill Tierney has won eight NCAA championships in the last 18 seasons (two as an assistant coach at Johns Hopkins in the 1980s, six as Princeton's head coach).
You are what your record says you are - Princeton is 164-34 since the start of the 1990 season.
U-S-A, U-S-A - Ryan Boyle was a member of the U.S. team that finished first at last summer's World Championships in Australia.
A league of their own - Princeton has won eight straight Ivy League championships.
More league - Princeton is 66-3 in its last 69 Ivy League games.
Coming attractions - Princeton plays at Yale Saturday in its Ivy League opener. Yale defeated Princeton 15-13 at Class of 1952 Stadium a year ago, ending Princeton's 37-game Ivy League winning streak two games short of the all-time record (set by Cornell in the 1970s).