Princeton University Athletics
Boyle Leads Major League Lacrosse In Assists, Looks For Fourth Title
August 13, 2009 | Men's Lacrosse
Even in a different uniform, Ryan Boyle is back doing what he does best in lacrosse - handing out assists and playing for championships.
Boyle, one of the greatest players in Princeton men's lacrosse history, has continued his successful professional career this summer. Playing in his first season with the Boston Cannons, Boyle led Major League Lacrosse in assists with 23 during the regular season. He also scored 12 goals to finish with 35 points, 10th best in the league.
Boyle will be playing next weekend in the MLL playoffs at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis. The Cannons will play the regular-season champion Denver Outlaws, who feature Princeton alum Josh Sims, while the other semifinal matches the Toronto Nationals and the Long Island Lizards.
The semifinals will be Saturday, Aug. 22, with the Cannons-Outlaws game at noon and the Lizards and Nationals at 3, followed by the championship game Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 pm. The first semifinal and the championship game will be televised by ESPN2.
Boyle ranks fourth all-time in Major League Lacrosse with 152 career assists, behind Connor Gill's 211, Casey Powell's 186 and Ryan Powell's 180. Boyle is also ninth all-time in points scored in MLL history.
When MLL contracted from 10 teams to six for this season, Boyle's previous emploiyer, the Philadlphia Barrage, went out of business. He was picked up by the Cannons, where he has helped Paul Rabil become the league's leading scorer.
Boyle has been an ultra-success on every level of his career, beginning at the Gilman School in his high school days. While at Princeton, he led the Tigers to the 2001 NCAA championship, the 2002 NCAA final and the 2004 NCAA Final Four. He was a four-time All-America and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year who finished his career second all-time at Princeton with 162 assists and 232 points.
The 2009 playoffs will give Boyle a chance to win a fourth MLL championship, after he won in 2004, 2006 and 2007 with the Barrage. He was also a member of the U.S. national team that won the 2002 World Championship and finished as runner-up in 2006, and he has advanced past the first round of tryouts for the 2010 team.
Sims is one of nine players who has played all nine seasons of Major League Lacrosse. The 2000 Princeton grad, who was a three-time first-team All-America and two-time national champ at Princeton, had 11 goals and eight assists during the regular season in the midfield.
Sims has won two previous MLL championships, both with the Bayhawks.
Matt Striebel, a 2001 Princeton grad, is one of the other eight players who have played all nine years in MLL. Striebel played this season for the Chicago Machine, who did not reach the playoffs. Despite that, Striebel finished 21st in the league in scoring with 22 points. He was also sixth among midfielders.
Like Boyle, Striebel has advanced past the first round of tryouts for the 2010 national team.