Princeton University Athletics
Hartofilis Leads Princeton Past Stubborn Rutgers 10-8
March 25, 2003 | Men's Lacrosse
March 25, 2003
Box Score
Piscataway - Sean Hartofilis scored a career-high six goals, including a pair of goals 12 seconds apart to erase a fourth-quarter Rutgers lead, as Princeton rallied to defeat the Scarlet Knights 10-8 in front of 2,479 at Yurcak Field Tuesday night.
The victory gave Princeton the Meistrell Cup for the 14th consecutive season. Princeton, ranked third in this week's USILA poll, improved to 3-2 with its third straight road win, while ninth-ranked Rutgers fell for the first time in eight games.
"That was the best Rutgers team we've ever played," Hartofilis said. "This is not the same old Rutgers."
The Scarlet Knights were 2-12 a year ago, including a 16-6 loss to Princeton in which the Tigers scored twice in the first 19 seconds. This time, Rutgers served notice quickly that this would be a much different game, storming out to a 3-0 first quarter lead in the first eight minutes. "That was a very good lacrosse team we just played," said Princeton coach Bill Tierney. "I told them that this wasn't the same team they'd seen before. They played hard and came after us. We had to play well to win."
Hartofilis got Princeton on the board with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter, and he scored two more times in the second quarter as Princeton erased the early deficit to lead 6-4 at intermission after Jason Doneger's goal off a great feed from Ryan Boyle with four seconds remaining.
The lead grew to three at 7-4 when Hartofilis scored a minute into the third quarter, but Rutgers would not go away. Instead, the patient Scarlet Knights would score four straight goals spanning the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, taking the 8-7 lead on Delby Powless' goal with 10:40 to play.
The score stayed that way for little more than a minute, when Hartofilis scored from Boyle on a man-advantage to even it at 8-8. Princeton won the ensuing face-off into the stick of Brad Dumont, who split two RU defenders and set up Hartofilis on the doorstep. Hartofilis cashed it in 12 seconds after tying it, giving him a career-best six goals, eclipsing his previous best set twice before, first in the 2000 NCAA semifinal against Virginia.
Doneger followed Davis' goal with his third 39 seconds later, giving Princeton a two-goal cushion. The Tigers controlled the ball most of the remainder of the game, and Rutgers' only shot in the final eight minutes came with just three seconds to go.
Hartofilis' six goals gave him 15 on the season and 99 in his career. He moved from 12th place to seventh place all-time at Princeton in goals scored in the game.
Doneger's three equaled Hartofilis' team-best total of 15, while Boyle added a goal and four assists to give him five goals and 13 assists and a team-best 18 points.
Rutgers had Nick Schmidt score two goals and no other player score more than one. Matt Apel and Tim White had a goal and two assists each.
Damien Davis, the Ivy League and Division I Player of the Week last week after holding Syracuse's Michael Powell without a point, repeated that feat against Rutgers attackman Leif Blomquist.
Princeton opens its Ivy League season Saturday at Yale. The Bulldogs defeated Princeton 15-13 a year ago, handing the Tigers their only league loss since 1995. Princeton has won eight straight Ivy League titles.