Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton Travels To Baltimore To Take On Johns Hopkins In Face-Off Classic
February 25, 2009 | Men's Lacrosse
Princeton vs. Johns Hopkins
The site M&T Bank Stadium ? Baltimore, Md.
The date Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009 ? 12 p.m.
Radio/TV WPRB FM 103.3; www.goprincetontigers.com/ESPNU
The rankings Princeton: No. 9 (USILA)/No. 11 (Inside Lacrosse); Johns Hopkins: No. 6 (USILA)/No. 3 (Inside Lacrosse)
The records Princeton: 1-0; Johns Hopkins: 1-0
The coaches Princeton: Bill Tierney (25th season overall, 260-90); Johns Hopkins: Dave Pietramala (12th season overall, 120-42)
The series Johns Hopkins leads 54-24
Last meeting Johns Hopkins defeated Princeton 14-9 ? March 1, 2008
Princeton and Johns Hopkins meet in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic for the third straight year. The first two games couldn't have been much different, as the first wasn't over until the second overtime and the second was basically over after 10 seconds.
Princeton and Hopkins are joined at M&T Bank Stadium for the third event by a Duke and Maryland, who replace Virginia and Syracuse as the other game of the day.
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Johns Hopkins defeated Princeton 14-9 last year in the Face-Off Classic. The score was 1-0 Hopkins after 10 seconds, 5-0 at the end of the first quarter, 8-0 before Princeton scord and 10-1 at halftime.
Hopkins defeated Princeton 7-6 in the inaugural Face-Off Classic in 2007 on Paul Rabil's goal in the second overtime.
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Princeton opened its 2009 season with a 14-6 win over Canisius last Saturday. Princeton took 60 shots in the game, the most shots Princeton has taken in a game since taking 62 against Rutgers in 1997.
Princeton's 60 shots were nearly double its average of a year ago, when the Tigers
attempted 32.1 shots per game.
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Princeton trailed Canisius 3-2 at halftime last week. Princeton scored two first half goals on 27 first half shots (.074 shooting percentage).
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Princeton started freshman Tyler Fiorito in goal against Canisius, and junior Nikhil Ashra played the second half. Both allowed three goals; Fiorito made four saves, while Ashra made five.
Ashra had played 41:52 for his career prior to the Canisius game. He now has a career .720 save percentage. Alex Hewit played virtually every minute the last three years; he graduated with a 7.00 goals-against average, third-best in Division I history.
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Princeton and Johns Hopkins meet for the 79th time in a series that Hopkins leads
54-24. Princeton is 12-12 against Hopkins since Bill Tierney became head coach; Princeton was 12-42 against Hopkins prior to Tierney's arrival.
Tierney is 9-12 against Hopkins during the regular season and 3-0 against Hopkins in the NCAA tournament.
Princeton and Johns Hopkins first met on May 17, 1890, in a 3-2 Tiger win. Princeton lost to Lehigh one week later and then suspended the sport due to “concerns of losing to schools that could not field proper football teams.” Princeton played one game in 1891 and one in game in 1893 and then did not play against until 1921.
Princeton has played Johns Hopkins at least once every year since 1937, except for the World War II-shortened season of 1944.
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Princeton lost 24 straight games to Johns Hopkins from 1967 through the 1990 NCAA tournament and went 1-32 against Hopkins from 1957 through 1990.
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Princeton's starting attack of Tommy Davis, Jack McBride and Chris McBride combined for nine goals against Canisius. Princeton's starting attack unit a year ago of Tommy Davis, Jack McBride and Alex Haynie combined to average 3.9 goals per game.
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Princeton is ranked either three spots or nine spots behind Hopkins, depending on which poll you like. Princeton is ninth in the USILA coaches' poll and 11th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll. Johns Hopkins is ranked sixth by the coaches and third by the media.
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Princeton head coach Bill Tierney was an assistant coach at Johns Hopkins from 1985 through 1987. Hopkins won two NCAA titles during that time, and Tierney coached current Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala on the 1987 title team.
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Kevin Unterstein, the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year at Hofstra, is in his first year as an assistant coach at Princeton.
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Princeton has nine freshmen ranked in the Top100 by Inside Lacrosse, including eight in the top 46. The list: Tyler Fiorito (2), Chad Wiedmaier (3), Mike Chanenchuk (19), Jonathan Meyers (23), John Cunningham (28), Mike Grossman (38), Mike Flanagan (43), Alex Capretta (46), Cliff Larkin (98).
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Princeton will play two games in NFL venues this season, against the two teams who played in the NCAA final a year ago.
In addition to this week's Hopkins game, Princeton will play defending NCAA champion Syracuse at Giants Stadium as part of the three-game Big City Classic on April 4.
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Princeton is playing the first of two straight games in Baltimore. The Tigers will are at UMBC next Friday night (March 6), at 8 p.m.
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Charlie Kolkin, Princeton's No. 1 longstick midfielder, missed the Canisius game with a minor injury. It was the first game of his career that he did not play.Freshman John Cunningham started in his place at longstick midfielder and had four first half casued turnovers.
* * *
Princeton started freshmen Tyler Fiorito in goal and Chad Wiedmaier on defense, with John Cunningham as the top longstick midfielder.
Wiedmaier replaced Dan Cocoziello, who had started every game of his career before graduating last spring. The last game Princeton played prior to last week that Cocoziello did not start was the 2004 NCAA semifinal against Navy.
Wiedmaier, like Cocoziello, is a graduate of Delbarton School.
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Princeton played three games in Europe last June, defeating the English national team 9-7 and 8-7 and the English U19 team 15-4. Tyler Moni scored more goals in the three games (three) than any other returning player.
Moni scored three goals after not scoring during the 2008 regular season. In addition to Moni, Princeton has three current players who scored goals on the trip after going scoreless in 2008 ?Peter Gudmundsen, Long Ellis and Sam Hayes.
Ellis, a defenseman, actually assisted on the game-winning goal in the first win over England and scored the game-winning goal in the second.
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Princeton's Jack McBride and Tyler Fiorito were teammates on the winning U.S. team at the World U19 championships last summer in Vancouver, B.C.
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The Ivy League went 7-0 last weekend as each team opened its season with a victory. Included in the wins was Harvard's 9-6 win over Duke and Cornell's 18-6 win over Binghamton.
Dartmouth lost the Ivy's first game when it fell 12-9 to Bryant Tuesday.
* * *
Princetons Jack McBride (13), Mark Kovler (13) and Tommy Davis (10) rank 1-2-3 in the Ivy League in shots attempted per game.
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Mark Kovler missed the final four games of last season and the games in Europe, and was limited during fall practice, by a broken ankle. Kovler returned to the lineup for the Canisius game and scored one goal.
Kovler now has scored at least one goal in 15 straight games, the longest current streak on the team.
What Can You Say About ...
Nikhil Ashra #23
? played second half against Canisius, allowing three goals and making five saves
? has a career .720 save percentage
? played 6:19 a year ago and 35:33 as a freshman as Alex Hewit's backup
Paul Barnes #31
? won 13 of 22 face-offs against Canisius
Alex Capretta #1
? attackman currently playing on second midfield
John Cunningham #3
? played against Canisius as No. 1 longstick midfield in place of Charlie Kolkin, who was out with injury
? had four caused turnovers and three ground balls
Tommy Davis #7
? had three goals against Canisius
? led team in goals and assists last year, becoming first player since Justin Tortolani in 1990 to lead the team in goals and assists in same season (Peter Trombino led the team in goals and tied for team lead in assists in 2006)
? has led team in assists each of the last two years
Long Ellis #14
? played as fourth defenseman against Canisius
? had game-winning goal in one game and assisted on game-winning goal in other game against English national team during team's trip to Spain and Ireland last June
Rob Engelke #22
? scored two goals against Canisius
? has 10 career goals, of which six have come against Canisius and two have come in his only NCAA tournament game (2007 vs. Georgetown)
Tyler Fiorito #6
? started and played first half against Canisius
? made four saves and allowed three goals
? was ranked second by Inside Lacrosse magazine among incoming freshman
? member of United States U19 team that won World Championship last summer in Vancouver
Jeremy Hirsch #37
? started 14th straight game on defense in season opener
? started every game last season on defense
? played in 13 of 14 games as freshman as fourth defenseman
Charlie Kolkin #43
? No. 1 longstick midfielder
? 2009 preseason All-America
? missed game against Canisius with a minor injury; it was first game missed in his career
? named Nike/Inside Lacrosse Division I Player of the Week after Princeton's win over Cornell last year
? held Cornell All-America John Glynn without a point
Mark Kovler #17
? had a goal against Canisius
? suffered broken ankle in practice last April 10 and missed
remainder of season
? has at least one goal in 15 straight games, longest current streak by a Princeton player
? three-time All-America
? preseason third-team All-America by Inside Lacrosse
Josh Lesko #19
? gone from starting 12 games a year ago on first midfield to being on first shortstick defensive middie group with Brendan Reilly
Scott MacKenzie #2
? playing on first midfield unit
? had a goal and assist against Canisius
Chris McBride #15
? scored two goals against Canisius after scoring two goals all freshman year
? moved from midfield to starting on attack alongside cousin Jack McBride
? scored 60 goals as a high school senior two years ago at Delbarton
Jack McBride #14
? led Princeton with four goals and five points against Canisius
? all four goals came after halftime, as Princeton erased 3-2 deficit
? 2008 Ivy League Rookie of the Year
? member of United States U19 team that won World Championship last summer in Vancouver
Tyler Moni #27
? playing on second midfield group
? had three goals during Princeton's European trip for highest goal total by any current player
Chris Peyser #38
? preseason third-team All-America
? has started 28 straight games on defense
? team tri-captain
Brendan Reilly #29
? team tri-captain
? preseason honorable mention All-America
? been one of top two defensive shortstick middies since freshman year
? had an assist against Canisius
? a Woodrow Wilson Schoool Scholar in the Nation's Service
? completed Marine Corps Office Candidate School over summer and will be commissioned a 2nd Lt. after graduation
? also an All-Collegiate Sprint Football League selection in varsity sport for players 174 pounds or less
Greg Seaman #42
? team tri-captain
? son of Towson coach Tony Seaman
Rich Sgalardi #18
? had a goal and two assists against Canisius
Chad Wiedmaier #9
? started first game of career on defense
? third-ranked current freshman by Inside Lacrosse
Career Scoring
Player G-A-Pts
7 Tommy Davis 57-36-93
17 Mark Kovler 58-15-73
19 Josh Lesko 19-12-31
14 Jack McBride 23-3-26
18 Rich Sgalardi 8-13-21
22 Rob Engelke 10-5-15
2 Scott MacKenzie 5-11-16
3 Chris McBride 4-3-7
42 Greg Seaman 4-0-4
11 Ryan Morrell 2-1-3
29 Brendan Reilly 2-1-3
43 Charlie Kolkin 1-1-2
21 Connor Reilly 2-0-2
38 Chris Peyser 0-1-1
Game-By-Game
CANISIUS (W, 14-6)
GOALS - J. McBride 4, T. Davis 3, C. McBride 2, Engelke 2, MacKenzie 1, Kovler 1, Sgalardi 1
ASSISTS - Sgalardi 2, B. Reilly 1, J. McBride 1, MacKenzie 1
GOALIE - Fiorito (30 min, 3 goals-against, 4 saves), Ashra (30 min, 3 goals-against, 5 saves)