Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Hosts Rutgers In NCAA Men's Lacrosse
May 13, 2004 | Men's Lacrosse
May 13, 2004
Princeton, the team with the best winning percentage in Division I NCAA tournament history, hosts Rutgers in the opening round of the 2004 event. The Tigers defeated the Scarlet Knights 9-7 during the regular season; history suggests that might favor Rutgers in the rematch.
Princeton vs. Rutgers
NCAA Tournament * Opening Round
The site Class of 1952 Stadium * Princeton, N.J.
The date Saturday, May 15, 2004 * 12:00 p.m.
Radio ESPN Radio AM 920/www.goprincetontigers.com
The records Princeton: 9-3 (5-1 Ivy League); Rutgers: 8-5
The coaches Princeton: Bill Tierney (19th season overall, 224-67); Rutgers: Jim Stagnitta (15th season overall, 196-64)
The series Princeton leads 50-28-3
Last meeting Princeton defeated Rutgers 9-7 * April 10, 2004
You guys again? - Princeton defeated Rutgers 9-7 on April 10 at the Class of 1952 Stadium. Rutgers led 4-3 at halftime before Princeton scored the first five goals of the second half. Split-ting headache - The Princeton-Rutgers game will mark the 15th time that Princeton has played an opponent in the NCAA tournament that it had already played during the regular season. The team that won the first game is 5-9 in the NCAA tournament rematch, including 2-5 since 1999.
History lesson - Princeton and Rutgers first played men's lacrosse on April 25, 1888, in New Brunswick and May 2, 1888, in Princeton. Both games were won by Princeton.
More history - The 2004 NCAA tournament opening round will be the 82nd meeting between Princeton and Rutgers; the only team Princeton has played more is Yale, whom the Tigers have played 85 times.
Last history - Princeton and Rutgers have met every year since 1926 except for the World War II years of 1944 and 1945.
Seed-lings - Princeton is seeded sixth in the NCAA tournament; Rutgers is unseeded.
Coming attractions - The winner of the Princeton-Rutgers game will play the winner of the Army-Maryland game in the quarterfinal round at Virginia, Saturday May 22.
May madness - Princeton's NCAA tournament winning percentage of .765 (26-8) is the best in NCAA tournament history.
The first whammy - Princeton has defeated Rutgers 15 straight times.
The second whammy - Princeton is 21-0 against teams other than Syracuse in NCAA tournament games since 1992.
Close shaves - Princeton has played 34 NCAA tournament games, of which 21 have been decided by one or two goals. Princeton is 18-3 in those 21 games.
A league of their own - Princeton tied Cornell for the Ivy League championship, marking the 10th straight time that Princeton has won at least a share of the Ivy title.
Starting over - Princeton graduated 11 four-year contributors, including seven four-year starters, after the 2003 season.
More starting over - Princeton had four players who had ever started a game prior to the start of the 2004 season (Ryan Boyle, Jason Doneger, Ricky Schultz, Oliver Barry).
Last starting over - Ryan Boyle and Jason Doneger are the only current Princeton players who have ever scored an NCAA tournament goal.
Fresh faces - Princeton's freshmen have combined to score 42 goals in 12 games; Princeton's freshmen last year combined for one goal, and Princeton's freshmen the year before combined for no goals.
More fresh - Freshmen Peter Trombino, Scott Sowanick and Whitney Hayes all have at least 20 points this season. The only other time Princeton had three freshmen with at least 20 points in the same season was 1995, when Jesse Hubbard, Chris Massey and Jon Hess all had at least 27.
Aw, shoot - Princeton held Rutgers to 18 shots in the first meeting between the teams this season, including seven in the second half.
What can you say about? ...
... Oliver Barry * a first-team All-Ivy League selection * started every game on defense * has 23 groundballs * had an assist against Penn
... John Bennett * has been one of top two longstick midfielders * also plays on the wing on face-offs
... Ryan Boyle * 2004 Ivy League Player of the Year * 2002 Ivy League Player of the Year * second player ever to win Ivy Player of the Year twice, along with Cornell's Eamon McEneaney (1975, 1977) * three-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy League * 2003 first-team All-America * Ivy League record-holder for assists in league games in a season (32) and career (88) * has 15 goals and 37 assists * leads Division I in assists per game with 3.08 * leads Ivy League in assists and points scored * leads Princeton in scoring; will become second player in school history to lead team in scoring four times (Kevin Lowe was first) * ranks second all-time in points scored at Princeton with 217 (trailing only Kevin Lowe's 247) * ranks second all-time in assists at Princeton with 151 (trailing only Kevin Lowe's 174) * has at least four assists in six of 12 games * had three goals and three assists against Syracuse * had a goal and four assists in first game against Rutgers * has four goals and 18 assists in eight career NCAA tournament games * assisted on B.J. Prager's overtime goal against Syracuse in overtime to win the 2001 NCAA championship * has at least one point in every game of career
... Mac Bryson * has six goals and one assist * has been on second midfield unit * had two goals in win at Virginia
... Drew Casino * second-team All-Ivy League selection * has 20 goals and four assists * had nine goals for his first three years combined * became first player in school history to have at least 20 goals as a senior after having fewer than 10 for career prior to that * has at least one goal in every game * also one of two face-off men; has won 52 of 110 draws * one of three current Princeton players to play in the 2001 NCAA championship game
... Jason Doneger * second-team All-Ivy League selection * leads Ivy League with 33 goals * has 74 goals in last 27 games * has more games with three or more goals (seven) than fewer than three goals (five) * has at least one goal in 28 straight games, tied with Scott Conklin for the second-longest streak in school history ... Chris Massey scored at least one goal in 46 straight games from 1995-98 * scored three goals against Rutgers in first meeting this season * Academic All-Ivy League selection
... Dixon Hayes * one of top shortstick defensive midfielders * also a wingman on face-offs * has 16 groundballs * older brother of Tiger freshman Whitney Hayes * graduate of Princeton High School
... Whitney Hayes * has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points * had at least one point in 10 of 12 games * had two assists in first game against Rutgers * had a goal and three assists against Penn * had three assists against Cornell, two of which came in the final two minutes as Princeton rallied from three-goal deficit to force overtime ... Grant Hewit * one of top shortstick defensive midfielders * younger brother Alex is an All-America high school goalie who will play at Princeton next season
... Zachary Jungers * No. 1 longstick midfielder on team * started on close defense for first two games of season in place of injured Tim Sullivan
... Jared Keating * one of top shortstick defensive midfielders * started his own venture capital research group
... Erik Kudla * moved to man-up unit midway through the season * has three goals, all on man-up situations * had two man-up goals against Cornell * had key man-up goal in second half of first Rutgers game to tie score after Scarlet Knights had taken halftime lead
... Dave Law * started all 12 games in goal * has played 642 of team's 721 minutes * has an 8.04 goals-against average * Ivy League Player of the Week after making 15 saves in 8-7 win over Virginia
... Jim O'Brien * has played in the second midfield unit all season * has five goals and two assists * had first career two-goal game against Harvard ... Ryan Schoenig * has played longstick and shortstick defense * scored one goal, as a longstick, against Quinnipiac * has only goal by a Princeton longstick * has won 69 of 124 face-offs * won 9 of 10 face-offs against Dartmouth * won 8 of 12 face-offs in first meeting with Rutgers
... Ricky Schultz * a first-team All-Ivy League selection * Princeton's most experienced defenseman * was Princeton's only returning starter among its close defense, longstick midfield, defensive shortstick midfield and goalie * has started for three seasons * one of three current Princeton players to play in the 2001 NCAA championship game
... Scott Sowanick * started every game on first midfield * has 11 goals and 10 assists * is one of six Princeton freshmen ever with double figures in goals and assists * had four assists against Brown last week * has at least one point in 10 of 12 games * has seven multiple-point games * has at least three points in three of last four games * one of two games without a point was against Rutgers
... Tim Sullivan * started last 10 games on defense * did not start first two games after suffering preseason ankle injury
... Peter Trombino * 2004 Ivy League Rookie of the Year * four-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week * has 20 goals and 11 assists * has at least one goal in every game * set Princeton record by scoring at least one goal in first 12 games of freshman season * first Princeton freshman ever with at least 20 goals and at least 10 assists * joined Jon Hess and Ryan Boyle as the only Princeton players in the last 10 years with at least 20 goals and at least 10 assists in same season * has 20 goals on 43 shots for team-best .465 shooting percentage * had two goals in first game against Rutgers * had four goals last week against Brown
... Dave Willard * one of top shortstick defensive midfielders * member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars * fluent in Chinese