Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton Hosts Dartmouth As 1992 and 1997 Teams Are Honored
April 26, 2007 | Men's Lacrosse
You think you had a tough week? How'd you like to be the Dartmouth men's lacrosse team? The Big Green lost a heartbreaker last weekend at No. 3 Virginia, falling 10-9 on a man-down goal with less than two minutes to go. As tough as that loss was, it was only the warmup act for Dartmouth, which fell 15-14 to No. 6 Albany Tuesday as the Great Danes scored three times in the final two minutes, including the game-winner with six seconds to go. Had Dartmouth won both, it would have been 6-6 overall and in position for an NCAA tournament berth.
Princeton's last outing wasn't quite what it might have hoped for either, as the Tigers fell behind early and could never catch No. 1 Cornell in a 10-6 loss in Ithaca last Saturday.
So where does that leave the two as they prepare to meet Saturday at Class of 1952 Stadium (noon, WPRB FM 103.3)? Well, Princeton is very much in the NCAA tournament hunt and is playing for a first-round home game. Dartmouth won't be in the field of 16 when it is announced next Sunday, so the Big Green will be looking to take all of that frustration out on Princeton.
Princeton leads the all-time series 47-7 and has won 16 of the last 17, but the Big Green has been a tough foe of late for the Tigers. Dartmouth crunched Princeton in 2003 at Class of 1952 Stadium, and 2004 and 2005 were both hard-fought 10-8 Tiger wins. Last year's game was a more comfortable margin for the Tigers, but the Big Green's 11 goals in the 16-11 contest in Hanover match the most against Princeton in the last two years.
Peter Trombino enters the game needing one assist to become the fourth Princeton player ever and first to play for Bill Tierney to have at least 90 goals and at least 50 assists in a career. Mark Kovler needs two goals to become the third Tiger midfielder this decade to reach 20 goals for a season.
At halftime Princeton will honor its 1992 team on the 15th anniversary of winning the first of the Tigers' six NCAA titles and the 1997 team on the 10th anniversary of its perfect season.
Princeton vs. Dartmouth
The site Class of 1952 Stadium ? Princeton, N.J.
The date Saturday, April 28, 2007 ? 12:00 p.m.
Radio WPRB FM 103.3; www.goprincetontigers.com
The rankings Princeton: No. 7 (Nike Inside Lacrosse)/No. 7 (USILA); Dartmouth: unranked
The records Princeton: 8-3 (3-1 Ivy League); Dartmouth: 4-8 (1-3 Ivy League)
The coaches Princeton: Bill Tierney (23rd season overall, 250-83); Dartmouth: Bill Wilson (fourth season overall, 28-24)
The series Princeton leads 47-7
Last year Princeton defeated Dartmouth 16-11 ? April 29, 2006
Bouncing back ? Princeton comes into today's game after a 10-6 loss at No. 1 Cornell last weekend. Dartmouth comes into today's game after a 10-9 loss at No. 3 Virginia last Saturday and a 15-14 loss at No. 6 Albany Tuesday.
Late charge ? Dartmouth lost to Virginia 10-9 on Danny Glading's man-down goal with 1:28 to play and 15-14 to Albany as Frank Resetarits scored three times in the final two minutes, including the game-winner with six seconds left.
D plus ? Princeton ranks first in Division I in scoring defense (5.87 goals per game).
More D ? Princeton is allowing 5.87 goals per game, which would be the second-best single-season average in Bill Tierney's 20 years as head coach. The best single season to date for a
Tierney-coached Princeton team is 5.80, by the 2001 NCAA championship team.
Can you spare a dime? ? Peter Trombino needs two assists to become the first player in school history with four seasons of at least 20 goals and at least 10 assists.
On the Mark ? Mark Kovler needs two goals to become the third Princeton midfielder this decade to reach 20 goals, joining Brad Dumont (22 in 2002) and Drew Casino (24 in 2004).
History lesson ? Princeton leads the all-time series with Dartmouth 47-7.
More history ? Princeton and Dartmouth first played in 1953 and have played every year since.
A league of their own ? A Cornell win over Brown or a Princeton loss to Dartmouth or Brown next week would give the Big Red the outright Ivy League title. A Cornell loss to Brown coupled with two Princeton wins would leave Princeton and Cornell as co-champions. Cornell has already clinched the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Every other Ivy team has been mathematically eliminated.
Highly offensive ? Dartmouth scored 11 goals last year in Princeton's 16-11 win in Hanover; Dartmouth's 11 goals equal Maryland's total from last year's quarterfinals as the highest total allowed by Princeton the last two years.
Senior citizen ? Whitney Hayes scored two goals against Cornell last week. He has four goals this season; three have come in the last three games.
Moving up the charts ? Peter Trombino is tied with Robert Palumbo '88 for 13th all-time at Princeton with 139 career points. He needs seven to move into a tie for 12th with Don Hahn '51. Trombino is also 14th all-time in goals at Princeton with 40.
More charts ? Peter Trombino needs one assist to join Wick Sollers '77, David Tickner '77 and Gerald Ronan '83 as the only players in school history with at least 90 goals and at least 50 assists.
Snapped ? Princeton had its seven-game winning streak snapped against Cornell last week.
For starters ? Princeton allowed four first quarter goals to Cornell after allowing five first quarter goals in the first 10 games combined.
Aw, shoot ? Princeton has a .160 shooting percentage in its three losses and a .289 shooting percentage in its eight wins.
More shoot ? Princeton has outshot its opponent in all three losses.
Seeing 20-20-20-20 ? Peter Trombino is one of five players in school history with four seasons of at least 20 goals. The other four: Jesse Hubbard, Chris Massey, B.J. Prager, Sean Hartofilis.
On the Mark ? Mark Kovler has 18 goals, the most by a Princeton sophomore middie since Josh Sims had 32 in 1998.
It had to be Hewit ? Alex Hewit has a .682 save percentage in Princeton's four games that have been decided by one or two goals.
Sweet 16 ? Alex Hewit has made 16 saves against Dartmouth each of the last two years.
Sweet 17 ? Alex Hewit and Zachary Junges are two of 17 final nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given to the outstanding player in collegiate lacrosse.
Welcome to the Jungers ? Zachary Jungers is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior Class Award for lacrosse, which will be awarded for excellence in athletics, academics, service and leadership.
More Jungers ? Zachary Jungers is one of two players to be one of 10 finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award and one of the final 17 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy. Cornell goalie Matt McMonagle is the other.
Ouch ? MIke DeSantis has missed the last five games due to an injury. Zachary Jungers missed almost all of the Cornell game due to an injury.
Streaking ? Tommy Davis has at least one point in 17 straight games.
I'm honored ? Alex Hewit became the third Princeton goalie to play for Bill Tierney to win the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award as the top goalie in Division I when he won the award last season, joining Scott Bacigalupo and Trevor Tierney. Hewit became the second player to play for Bill Tierney to be a first-team All-America without being first-team All-Ivy League (Bacigalupo in 1994).
The All-American boys ? Princeton has six players who have earned All-America honors in their career: Alex Hewit (2006 first-team), Dan Cocoziello (2006 second-team), Zachary Jungers (2006 thid-team), Peter Trombino (2006 honorable mention), Mark Kovler (2006 honorable mention) and Scott Sowanick (2005 honorable mention).
More All-Americas ? Princeton's defense consists of two preseason first-team All-Americas (G Alex Hewit, D Dan Cocoziello) and one preseason second-team All-America (D Zachary Jungers).
Bling, bling ? Princeton's four coaches have combined for 21 NCAA championship rings. Bill Tierney has six as Princeton head coach and two as an assistant coach at Johns Hopkins; David Metzbower and Bryce Chase have six each at Princeton; Greg Raymond has one as a player from Johns Hopkins.
Princeton Lacrosse '07 ... By The Numbers
0 players who have played for Bill Tierney at Princeton who have had at least 90 career goals and at least 50 career assists; Peter Trombino needs one assist to become the first
1 Princeton's rank in Division I in scoring defense (5.5 goals per game) and Cornell's rank in Division I in scoring offense (14.9 goals per game)
2 players to be among the final 17 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy and the 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior Class Award honoring outstanding performance in lacrosse, service and academics: Princeton's Zachary Jungers and Cornell's Matt McMonagle
4 Whitney Hayes goals this season, of which three have come in the last three games, including two last weeek at Cornell
5 players in school history with four seasons of at least 20 goals (Peter Trombino, Jesse Hubbard, Chris Massey, Sean Hartofilis, B.J. Prager)
5.80 lowest single-season goal total by a Bill Tierney-coached team in his first 19 seasons as Tiger head coach
5.87 average goals per game allowed by Princeton this season through 11 games
9 first quarter goals allowed by Princeton, five in the first 10 games combined and four last week at Cornell
11 goals scored by Dartmouth against Princeton a year ago, equalling Maryland for the highest total against Princeton since the start of the 2006 season
16 saves made by Alex Hewit against Dartmouth each of the last two years
17 consecutive games with at least one point by Tommy Davis
18 goals by midfielder Mark Kovler, who needs two to become the second Tiger middie this decade to reach 20 goals (Brad Dumont had 22 in 2002; Drew Casino had 24 in 2004)
54 games played by Princeton since the start of the 2004 season; Scott Sowanick and Peter Trombino have started all 54
96 Ivy League wins by Bill Tierney as Princeton head coach, second-best all-time in league history behind Richie Moran of Cornell (123)
What Can You Say About ...
Nikhil Ashra #23
? has a .833 save percentage and 3.69 goals-against average in 32:29 as back-up goalie
? made seven saves while allowing two goals in 25:50 against Bellarmine
? made three saves without allowing a goal against Canisius
John Bennett #37
? in fourth season of splitting longstick midfield position
Alex Berg #13
? has won 67 of 129 face-offs
? won 7 of 9 against Bellarmine
? won 6 of 10 face-offs against Rutgers
? won 8 of 10 against Canisius
? won 6 of 12 against Virginia
? won 11 of 21 against Syracuse
? missed the Hofstra game due to injury suffered against RU
Michael Biles #6
? had a goal against Johns Hopkins and Canisius
? missed almost all of last year with injury
? played in 24 games first two years
Dan Cocoziello #1
? preseason first-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse
? second-team All-America a year ago
? named to Tewaaraton Trophy preseason watch list
? unanimous first-team All-Ivy League defenseman in 2006
? held Penn's leading scorer, Craig Andrzejewski, without a goal and with only one shot
? held Harvard's Brian Mahler, who entered the game tied for team lead in goals, to no goals and two shots
? had three goals last season, one off school single-season record for a longstick, set by John Harrington in 1998
? became first defenseman to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year when he won the award in 2005
? has started every game of his career
? had an assist against Rutgers
Trip Cowin #4
? had an assist against Canisius
? came back from off-season knee surgery
Tommy Davis #7
? leads team with 13 assists
? second on team with 28 points
? has a 17-game streak with at least one point
? scored two goals and had one assist against Syracuse
? scored three goals (on four shots) against Penn
? had a goal and assist against Cornell
? had two goals against Harvard
? had a goal and assist against Yale; was only Princeton player with more than one point in that game
? scored two goals against Hofstra, including game-winner with eight seconds remaining
? had two goals and five assists against Canisius
? had five assists against Canisius after having one all last year
? scored two goals on two shots against Canisius
? had a goal and assist against Hopkins
? had an assist against UVa
? had an eight-game goal-scoring streak snapped against UVa
? had a goal and three assists against Bellarmine
? missed last six games of 2006 regular season with shoulder injury suffered against Syracuse; returned with five goals in two NCAA tournament games
? missed game against Rutgers due to injury
Mike DeSantis
? missed last five games due to injury
? has won 28 of 52 face-offs
? had a goal against Hofstra
? had first career goal against Rutgers
? goal came 15 seconds after an RU goal had made it a two-goal game in the fourth quarter
? also had an assist against Rutgers for first career two-point game
? has four career points
? won 7 of 11 face-offs against Hofstra
? won 6 of 8 face-offs against Hopkins
? won 7 of 10 face-offs against Canisius
? won exactly 50% of his draws as both a sophomore and junior
Rob Engelke #22
? has played in every game as fourth attackman
? had first career assist in win over Hofstra
? had a goal and two assists against Bellarmine
? scored three goals against Canisius
? named Ivy League Rookie of the Week after that game
? became second Princeton player in last 12 years to score three goals in first game of freshman year (Tommy Davis in 2006)
? scored three goals on three shots against Canisius
? scored more than 100 points as a junior and senior at Garden City High School
Mike Gaudio #8
? tore his ACL in second quarter of last year's game against Hopkins and missed remainder of season
? scored first goal since ACL injury with goal against Yale
? also had a goal against Harvard
? returned from injury to play against Canisius
? had 13-game goal scoring streak snapped against Canisius
? had assists against Virginia and Penn
? honorable mention All-Ivy selection in 2005
? scored 16 goals in 2005, most by a sophomore midfielder at Princeton since Josh Sims in 1998
Zack Goldberg #33
? top shortstick defensive midfielder
? had a goal against Yale
? had a goal and assist against Rutgers
? had an assist against Canisius and Harvard
? has seven career goals
Whitney Hayes #3
? had two goals against Cornell
? had a goal against Penn
? had a goal against Canisius
? has started 30 career games
Alex Haynie #12
? scored three goals against Canisius to tie career high
? had a goal and assist against Penn
? had a goal against Virginia and Cornell
? had two assists against UVa and against Syracuse
? had an assist against Hofstra
? had two goals against Bellarmine
? active with Athletes In Action
Alex Hewit #15
? 2006 first-team All-America
? 2007 preseason first-team All-America
? one of 17 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy
? 2006 first-team All-America despite not being first-team All-Ivy League (Cornell's Matt McMonagle)
? career goals-against average of 6.17 is second all-time behind Navy's Matt Russell (5.86 from 2003-06)
? second in Division I in goals-against (6.50) and fifth in save percentage (.627)
? has .682 save percentage in four games decided by two goals or less (Hopkins, Virginia, Hofstra, Yale)
? named Ivy League Player of the Week after 14-save, three-goals-against, .824 save percentage performance against Yale
? had 13 saves while allowing three goals against Harvard
? made 12 saves against Syracuse
? made 11 saves while allowing four goals against Hofstra (.733 save percentage)
? made 10 saves against Virginia
? has made 30 saves and allowed 14 goals in last two games against UVa
? is the only goalie to hold Virginia under 10 goals during each of the last two seasons
? made 10 saves against Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Rutgers
? had an assist against Bellarmine for first career point
? had a career-low .300 save percentage (seven goals-against, three saves) against Canisius
? has a career .634 save percentage
Zachary Jungers #36
? third-team All-America a year ago
? preseason second-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse
? one of 17 nominees for the Tewaaraton Trophy
? one of 10 finalists for Lowe's Senior Class
? honorable mention All-Ivy League
? started every game on close defense last two years after being top longstick midfielder first two years
? missed almost all of Cornell game due to knee injury
? held Hofstra's Tommy Dooley without a goal or assist; Dooley was Hofstra's leading scorer and the 2006 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year after scoring 38 goals
? held Colin Checcio, Rutgers' leading scorer, to one goal, which came with three minutes remaining
? one of 20 finalists for the Lowe's Senior Class Award for lacrosse, which will be awarded for excellence in athletics, academics, service and leadership
? had first career point with an assist against Bellarmine
? competed at tryouts for U.S. national team in 2005
Charlie Kolkin #43
? No. 1 longstick midfielder
? moved to close defense for most of Cornell game when Zachary Jungers was injured
? scored first goal of career in win over Rutgers
? has played in every game of career
Mark Kovler #17
? second-team All-Ivy League in 2006
? preseason honorable mention All-America
? 2006 honorable mention All-America
? second on team with 18 goals
? has more goals than any sophomore midfielder at Princeton since Josh Sims had 32 in 1998
? needs two goals to become third Princeton midfielder to reach 20 for a season this decade (Brad Dumont 22 in 2002; Drew Casino 24 in 2004)
? had a career-high four goals and a career-high five points against Syracuse
? had three goals against Harvard
? scored three goals against Rutgers and Bellarmine
? also had an assist against Bellarmine
? had a goal against Hofstra and Cornell
? scored tying goal in fourth quarter against Johns Hopkins
? had two goals and an assist against Canisius
? was sixth all-time among freshman goal scorers (third among midfielders) at Princeton with 18
Josh Lesko #19
? preseason honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse
? had one goal in each of first four games
? had a goal and assist against UVa
? had one goal against Hopkins, Penn and Canisius
? had a streak of nine straight games with at least one goal snapped against Hofstra; had exactly one goal in each of the nine games during streak
? had an assist against Hofstra and Bellarmine
? had a goal against Syracuse
Scott MacKenzie #2
? had first career point with an assist against Canisius
Chris Peyser #38
? starting on close defense
? played in every game last year as fourth defender
? shut out Cornell's David Mitchell, who had 31 goals in 10 games prior to facing Princeton
? shut out Hofstra's Ryan Miller in 5-4 Princeton win
? started one game a year ago
Brendan Reilly #29
? one of top shortstick defensive midfielders
? had first career assist in win over Syracuse
? played in a backup role last year
Bob Schneider #28
? had two goals against Rutgers
? had one goal against Hofstra, UVa, Bellarmine and Canisius
? missed last three games due to injury
? has played attack and midfield in career
Greg Seaman #42
? scored first career goal in win over Canisius
? had a goal against Rutgers
? won 2 of 5 face-offs against Canisius
? son of Towson coach Tony Seaman
Tripp Shriner #10
? made first career start against Rutgers
? had a goal and assist against Rutgers
? had an assist against Penn
Scott Sowanick #5
? named to Tewaaraton Trophy preseason watch list
? preseason second-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse
? honorable mention All-Ivy League in 2006
? had three goals against Penn
? had a goal and two assists against Harvard
? had a goal and assist against Hopkins
? had a goal and three assists against Rutgers
? had a goal against Cornell
? assisted on all three of Mark Kovler's goals against Rutgers
? had an assist against Canisius and Syracuse
? has started every game of career
? has 114 career points
Derek Sudan #46
? veteran shortstick defensive midfielder
? scored first career goal in win over Yale
? had first career point with an assist against Rutgers
? has played in every game last two years
Peter Trombino #20
? named to Tewaaraton Trophy preseason watch list
? preseason second-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse
? one of two active players in Division I lacrosse who has scored an overtime goal in an NCAA tournament game, which he did against Maryland in 2004 quarterfinals (UMass's Jim Connolly is the other)
? only player in school history with at least 20 goals and at least 10 assists as a freshman, sophomore and junior; needs two assists to do so again as senior
? needs one assist to become fourth player in school history with at least 90 career goals and 50 career assists
? one of five players in school history with four seasons of at least 20 goals (Jesse Hubbard, Chris Massey, B.J. Prager, Sean Hartofilis)
? leads team in goals (22) and points (30)
? had career-highs in goals (five) and points (seven) against Syracuse
? had two goals and two assists against Penn
? assisted on Tommy Davis' game-winning goal against Hofstra with eight seconds remaining
? had three goals against Virginia
? had two goals and an assist against Rutgers
? had a goal against Hopkins and Yale
? had a goal against Yale
? had four goals against Bellarmine, all in the first half
? has 90 career goals and 139 career points