Princeton University Athletics
Chris Brown and the Tigers are at Brown Saturday at 1.
Photo by: Patrick Tewey
Princeton Travels To Brown For Key Ivy Game
March 30, 2018 | Men's Lacrosse
PRINCETON (3-4, 0-2 Ivy League) vs. BROWN (3-4, 0-1)
Stevenson-Pincince Field • Providence, R.I. • March 31, 2018 • 1 p.m.
Series history - Princeton leads 32-25
Last year - Princeton defeated Brown 21-11 • April 1, 2017; Brown defeated Princeton 17-15 • May 5, 2017 (Ivy tournament semifinal)
Ivy League Network
Listen Live
@tigerlacrosse In-Game Twitter Updates
Brown Website
Live Stats
Princeton Laxcast With Head Coach Matt Madalon
Princeton Probable Starters
Career Highs
Career Scoring/Pronunciations
Princeton has played Brown in its third Ivy League men's lacrosse game each season going back a long way. Likewise, Brown has played Princeton in its second game.
The meeting Saturday afternoon between the teams in Providence will mark only the second time in the last 29 years that neither team has an Ivy win when they play.
Both teams very much want to keep playing beyond the end of the regular season, and neither team is by any means out of the race for the four league tournament slots. Each game, of course, is huge.
The only time in the last 28 years that neither team had a win was back in 2011, when Princeton defeated Brown 5-4 in four overtimes. If recent history suggests anything, it's that the 2018 game will feature that many combined goals long before the end of regulation.
Princeton vs. Brown
Five Storylines
On the offensive
Before last year, the average number of goals scored between these two teams combined in the previous 13 meetings was 16.38. The losing team averaged 5.97 goals in those 13 games.
In fact, only three times in the previous 34 years had both teams reached double figures in goals in a Princeton-Brown game: 1991, 2002, 2014.
And then last year happened.
Princeton and Brown played twice, in the regular season at Princeton and then in the Ivy tournament semifinals at Yale. The teams combined for 64 goals in those games, in fact with 32 goals in each. Princeton scored 36 of those goals - and only managed a split of the games.
It was 21-11 Princeton on Sherrerd Field and then 17-15 Brown on Reese Stadium.
Both teams were among the top scoring offenses in the country last year. They were also among the best shooting teams.
This year, the teams average just below 24 goals a game between them. Princeton has scored 15 goals in the last two games combined. Brown ranks ninth in Division I in scoring offense; Princeton, second a year ago, is now 29th. Both teams were in the top 10 last year in team shooting percentage (Princeton was actually first); this year neither is higher than 25th.
Shots
Princeton has taken 59 shots in its first two Ivy League games combined.
Contrast that with the two Princeton-Brown games a year ago, when the teams combined to take 195 shots. Princeton took 105 of those, with 52 in the first game and 53 in the second game.
Brown is known for the up-tempo game it played under then-head coach Lars Tiffany and then-offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan, who learned the system as a player and assistant coach at Tufts under current Brown head coach Mike Daly, who won three NCAA Division III titles with the Jumbos.
Princeton averaged 41.1 shots per game a year ago. The Tigers are averaging five fewer per game this season.
Face-offs and goalies
Princeton scored 19 goals against Brown goalie Phil Goss before he came out of the game early in the fourth quarter of the 21-11 game last year. Goss made 15 saves in that game.
Goss was the main reason Brown won the rematch. Princeton actually outshot Brown 52-36 in the Ivy tournament game, but Goss was tremendous, making 20 saves.
Now a sophomore, Goss is leading the Ivy League in save percentage at .578. Tyler Blaisdell, the Princeton senior who has started 41 straight games for the Tigers, moved into 10th place all-time in program history in saves, and he was the first-team All-Ivy goalie a year ago. Blaisdell made 18 saves last week against Yale.
As for the face-off game, Princeton struggled last week against the Bulldogs, winning 6 of 26 face-offs. Brown is second in the league in face-off winning percentage (.524), but Ted Ottens ranks first in the league in face-off winning percentage (.566).
Princeton used four face-off men against Yale - Sam Bonafede, Philip Thompson, Ralph Chrappa and Jack-Henry Vara.
Loose balls
Princeton ranks sixth of seven teams in the league in face-off winning percentage. That stat doesn't necessarily go hand-in-hand with this one: Princeton leads the Ivy League in ground balls per game.
In fact, Princeton and Brown rank 1-2 in the league in ground balls per game. The Tigers average 32.1 ground balls per game, exactly three more per game than Brown does. Princeton also has 11 players in double figures in ground balls, led by Andrew Song with 26.
Even without the incredible Zach Currier, who had 130 by himself a year ago, Princeton is only down about one ground ball per game from a year ago, when it averaged 33.4
Turnovers
Brown turns the ball over more than any other team in the league (105 times, or 15 per game). Brown also causes more turnovers than any other team in the league, with 53.Â
Princeton is second in the league in causing turnovers, just behind the Bears (7.57 per game to 7.29 per game). Princeton turned the ball over 18 times against Yale last week.
Other Princeton notes
* Michael Sowers leads the Ivy League and is second in Division I in assists per game, with 25 assists in seven games. Sowers' total through seven games would have led Princeton for the entire season five times in the last 10 years. Sowers is already 15th all-time in assists at Princeton, three away from moving into a tie for 12th. He's also 28th all-time in scoring at Princeton, and with five more points, he'd actually move past Jeff Froccaro and tie Zach Currier's career total for 26th.
* Michael Sowers has at least two points in every game of his career. He had 14 points on nine goals and five assists in two games against Brown a year ago.
* Chris Brown is the only Princeton player with at least one goal in every game this season. Brown, Austin Sims and Michael Sowers all have at least one point in every game this year.
* Riley Thompson had three goals and five assists against Brown last year. Thompson has 88 career points, on 41 goals and 47 assists.
* Midfielder Austin Sims leads Princeton with 15 goals, three more than attackmen Michael Sowers and Phillip Robertson. Since Josh Sims in 2000, the only Princeton midfielder to lead the team in goals for a full season is Tom Schreiber, who did it three times.
* Arman Medghalchi is the only Princeton defenseman to have started every game this season. Princeton has had four other defensemen - Aran Roberts, George Baughan, Daniel Winschuh, Charlie Tarry - who have started at least three games.
* Chase Williams is the only Princeton shortstick defensive midfielder to have played every game the last two seasons.
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Stevenson-Pincince Field • Providence, R.I. • March 31, 2018 • 1 p.m.
Series history - Princeton leads 32-25
Last year - Princeton defeated Brown 21-11 • April 1, 2017; Brown defeated Princeton 17-15 • May 5, 2017 (Ivy tournament semifinal)
Ivy League Network
Listen Live
@tigerlacrosse In-Game Twitter Updates
Brown Website
Live Stats
Princeton Laxcast With Head Coach Matt Madalon
Princeton Probable Starters
Career Highs
Career Scoring/Pronunciations
Princeton has played Brown in its third Ivy League men's lacrosse game each season going back a long way. Likewise, Brown has played Princeton in its second game.
The meeting Saturday afternoon between the teams in Providence will mark only the second time in the last 29 years that neither team has an Ivy win when they play.
Both teams very much want to keep playing beyond the end of the regular season, and neither team is by any means out of the race for the four league tournament slots. Each game, of course, is huge.
The only time in the last 28 years that neither team had a win was back in 2011, when Princeton defeated Brown 5-4 in four overtimes. If recent history suggests anything, it's that the 2018 game will feature that many combined goals long before the end of regulation.
Princeton vs. Brown
Five Storylines
On the offensive
Before last year, the average number of goals scored between these two teams combined in the previous 13 meetings was 16.38. The losing team averaged 5.97 goals in those 13 games.
In fact, only three times in the previous 34 years had both teams reached double figures in goals in a Princeton-Brown game: 1991, 2002, 2014.
And then last year happened.
Princeton and Brown played twice, in the regular season at Princeton and then in the Ivy tournament semifinals at Yale. The teams combined for 64 goals in those games, in fact with 32 goals in each. Princeton scored 36 of those goals - and only managed a split of the games.
It was 21-11 Princeton on Sherrerd Field and then 17-15 Brown on Reese Stadium.
Both teams were among the top scoring offenses in the country last year. They were also among the best shooting teams.
This year, the teams average just below 24 goals a game between them. Princeton has scored 15 goals in the last two games combined. Brown ranks ninth in Division I in scoring offense; Princeton, second a year ago, is now 29th. Both teams were in the top 10 last year in team shooting percentage (Princeton was actually first); this year neither is higher than 25th.
Shots
Princeton has taken 59 shots in its first two Ivy League games combined.
Contrast that with the two Princeton-Brown games a year ago, when the teams combined to take 195 shots. Princeton took 105 of those, with 52 in the first game and 53 in the second game.
Brown is known for the up-tempo game it played under then-head coach Lars Tiffany and then-offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan, who learned the system as a player and assistant coach at Tufts under current Brown head coach Mike Daly, who won three NCAA Division III titles with the Jumbos.
Princeton averaged 41.1 shots per game a year ago. The Tigers are averaging five fewer per game this season.
Face-offs and goalies
Princeton scored 19 goals against Brown goalie Phil Goss before he came out of the game early in the fourth quarter of the 21-11 game last year. Goss made 15 saves in that game.
Goss was the main reason Brown won the rematch. Princeton actually outshot Brown 52-36 in the Ivy tournament game, but Goss was tremendous, making 20 saves.
Now a sophomore, Goss is leading the Ivy League in save percentage at .578. Tyler Blaisdell, the Princeton senior who has started 41 straight games for the Tigers, moved into 10th place all-time in program history in saves, and he was the first-team All-Ivy goalie a year ago. Blaisdell made 18 saves last week against Yale.
As for the face-off game, Princeton struggled last week against the Bulldogs, winning 6 of 26 face-offs. Brown is second in the league in face-off winning percentage (.524), but Ted Ottens ranks first in the league in face-off winning percentage (.566).
Princeton used four face-off men against Yale - Sam Bonafede, Philip Thompson, Ralph Chrappa and Jack-Henry Vara.
Loose balls
Princeton ranks sixth of seven teams in the league in face-off winning percentage. That stat doesn't necessarily go hand-in-hand with this one: Princeton leads the Ivy League in ground balls per game.
In fact, Princeton and Brown rank 1-2 in the league in ground balls per game. The Tigers average 32.1 ground balls per game, exactly three more per game than Brown does. Princeton also has 11 players in double figures in ground balls, led by Andrew Song with 26.
Even without the incredible Zach Currier, who had 130 by himself a year ago, Princeton is only down about one ground ball per game from a year ago, when it averaged 33.4
Turnovers
Brown turns the ball over more than any other team in the league (105 times, or 15 per game). Brown also causes more turnovers than any other team in the league, with 53.Â
Princeton is second in the league in causing turnovers, just behind the Bears (7.57 per game to 7.29 per game). Princeton turned the ball over 18 times against Yale last week.
Other Princeton notes
* Michael Sowers leads the Ivy League and is second in Division I in assists per game, with 25 assists in seven games. Sowers' total through seven games would have led Princeton for the entire season five times in the last 10 years. Sowers is already 15th all-time in assists at Princeton, three away from moving into a tie for 12th. He's also 28th all-time in scoring at Princeton, and with five more points, he'd actually move past Jeff Froccaro and tie Zach Currier's career total for 26th.
* Michael Sowers has at least two points in every game of his career. He had 14 points on nine goals and five assists in two games against Brown a year ago.
* Chris Brown is the only Princeton player with at least one goal in every game this season. Brown, Austin Sims and Michael Sowers all have at least one point in every game this year.
* Riley Thompson had three goals and five assists against Brown last year. Thompson has 88 career points, on 41 goals and 47 assists.
* Midfielder Austin Sims leads Princeton with 15 goals, three more than attackmen Michael Sowers and Phillip Robertson. Since Josh Sims in 2000, the only Princeton midfielder to lead the team in goals for a full season is Tom Schreiber, who did it three times.
* Arman Medghalchi is the only Princeton defenseman to have started every game this season. Princeton has had four other defensemen - Aran Roberts, George Baughan, Daniel Winschuh, Charlie Tarry - who have started at least three games.
* Chase Williams is the only Princeton shortstick defensive midfielder to have played every game the last two seasons.
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Players Mentioned
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Face-Off
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Defense/LSM
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Defense
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Attack
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Defense/LSM
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Attack
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Defense/LSM
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Face-Off
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Midfield
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Face-Off
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Midfield
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Defense/LSM
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