Cordrey, Brown, Sowers Lead Princeton To Big Opening Win Over Monmouth

Saturday, February 16

West Long Branch, N.J.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

1-0

Monmouth

0-1

Princeton University

Monmouth

Emmet Cordrey (left) and Chris Brown (6) combined for 11 goals in a 23-7 win over Monmouth.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Cordrey, Brown, Sowers Lead Princeton To Big Opening Win Over Monmouth

February 16, 2019 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

It took Princeton more than 65 minutes a year ago to put away Monmouth in its season opener. This time it took about five or so.

Emmet Cordrey scored a career-high six goals, including two in the first three minutes and three in the first quarter, to spark Princeton to a 23-7 win over Monmouth to start the 2019 season. A year ago, to start the 2018 season, Princeton needed two overtimes to get a 9-8 win over the Hawks, the preseason favorite in the MAAC.

Cordrey doubled his previous career best, which came last year against Virginia, with his six goals, and he added two assists for eight points. Chris Brown, who last year became the second Princeton player ever with at least one goal in every game freshman year, started his sophomore year with his own career highs of five goals and seven points.

Michael Sowers began his junior year with two goals and five assists of his own. The Division I leader in assists per game a year ago, when he set the program record with 56, Sowers became the fourth Princeton player ever to reach 100 career assists, joining legends Kevin Lowe, Ryan Boyle and Jon Hess.

Cordrey's two quick goals were followed by Brown's first two and then a Mike Morean goal, and it was 5-0 Tigers after 5:44 had elapsed. Princeton then built the lead to 11-1 at intermission.

NOTES

* Princeton's freshman class saw Alexander Vardaro and Beau Pederson each score two goals, Jack Crockett score one and Luc Anderson have an assist. The most impressive debut performance may have come from Jake Stevens, though, who had an assist and nine ground balls while dominating the face-off wings.

* Cordrey's six goals came on seven shots.

* Sowers' five assists gave him 102 for his career, trailing only Lowe (174), Boyle (162) and Hess (133). Sowers also moved his career total in points to 172, two back of Wick Sollers for ninth all-time at Princeton, and he also mixed in three caused turnovers as well.

* Jon Levine made his first start in goal, becoming the first goalie other than Tyler Blaisdell to start a game since the middle of the 2015 season. Levine made eight saves while allowing five goals in 52 minutes, as all three Princeton goalies saw action. Sophomores Erik Peters and Ben Churchill both played for the first time in their careers, and they both had one goal-against and two saves.

* Princeton won 19 of 32 face-offs, led by an 8-for-11 performance by Jack-Henry Vara and an 8-for-15 performance by Philip Thompson.

* Midfielder Charlie Durbin, who missed all of 2018 due to injury, had two goals and an assist in his return. Connor McCarthy had two goals as well in the midfield.

* George Baughan had four groundballs and a caused turnover. Andrew Song had four ground balls.

* Princeton outshot Monmouth 59-39 and had a 46-29 edge in groundballs.

* The Tigers host Virginia next Saturday at noon.