Syracuse University
#7 Princeton
No. 7 Princeton Uses Eight Second-Half Goals to Defeat Men's Lacrosse, 11-10
3/22/2003 5:38:22 PM | Men's Lacrosse
The seventh-ranked Princeton men's lacrosse team battled back from an 8-4 third-quarter deficit en route to a 11-10 victory against No. 3 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Sophomore attackman Jason Doneger (Hewlett, N.Y./Lynbrook) scored a game-high five goals, including two during the Tigers' comeback run. His fifth goal at 12:22 of the fourth quarter gave Princeton its first lead of the game, 9-8.
Syracuse (3-2) jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind two goals from junior midfielder Steve Vallone (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) and one goal by senior attackman Michael Springer (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood). Doneger put Princeton on the board at 4:12 of the first quarter, but freshman midfielder/attackman Brian Crockett (Yorktown, N.Y./Yorktown) pushed SU's lead back to three goals (4-1) with 3:35 remaining. Doneger tallied again off a feed from junior attackman Ryan Boyle (Hunt Valley, Md./Gilman) with two seconds left in the opening quarter. Syracuse led, 4-2, after the first 15 minutes.
Each team notched just one goal in the second quarter. Princeton's Drew Casino (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) was whistled for a three-minute, unreleasable, illegal stick penalty at the start of the period. The Orangemen did not enjoy a full three-minute, extra-man advantage because of an illegal body check penalty called with two seconds remaining in the first quarter. Once the penalty expired, Vallone tallied SU's only goal during the extra-man advantage. It was his second man-up goal of the day. With 6:48 remaining, Doneger drove from around the left side of the cage and beat Syracuse goalie Jay Pfeifer (Towson, Md./Gilman) with a shot to the near post. Syracuse clung to a 5-3 lead at halftime.
Princeton (2-2) closed to within a goal (5-4) when Owen Daly (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) punched in a rebound at 9:26 of the third quarter. Syracuse pushed ahead again, this time by four goals (8-4). Close defenseman Dan DiPietro (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) registered his first goal as an Orangeman at the 8:27 mark. Senior midfielder Pat Hogan (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) scored 1:22 later and Vallone recorded his career-high fourth goal at the 6:29 mark, before Princeton gained control of the game.
The Tigers tallied five-straight goals and held Syracuse scoreless for more than 14 minutes from the end of the third quarter into the middle of the fourth stanza. Boyle, Sean Hartofilis (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony?s) and Doneger each netted goals at the end of the third quarter. The Tigers trailed 8-7 going into the final period.
Another close defenseman, this time from the Princeton team, scored the first goal of the fourth quarter. Damien Davis (Cockeysville, Md./Gilman), a Tewaaraton Trophy candidate, recorded the fifth goal of his career, to tie the game at 8-8 with 13:42 left to play. Doneger capped off the 5-0 Tiger run when he converted a Matt Trevenen (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) pass just 1:20 after Davis' goal.
SU junior midfielder Sean Lindsay (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Lakeland-Panas) blasted a shot from the top right corner at the 7:16 mark. His 11th goal of the season tied the game at 9-9.
Senior Brad Dumont (Baltimore, Md./McDonough) gave Princeton the lead back with his first goal of the game at 6:29. Lindsay dished off to Springer in transition for the game-tying goal (10-10) with 5:57 remaining in the contest, but Dumont came up with the game-winning shot for Princeton. Hartofilis rolled and dodged his way into position, then dropped off a pass to Dumont with 2:55 remaining.
The Tigers controlled the last faceoff of the game and patiently worked the ball around to shave minutes off the clock. The Syracuse defense aggressively went after the ball following a timeout and regained possession. With seven seconds left, the Orangemen sprinted down field. A last-second shot was attempted. The subsequent rebound shot that found the back of the net, was ruled too late.
The Orangemen will look to bounce back against Hobart in Geneva at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25.
Princeton 11, Syracuse 10
Score by quarters:
Princeton 2-1-4-4=11
Syracuse 4-1-3-2=10
Syracuse Goals: Steve Vallone 4, Michael Springer 2, Sean Lindsay 1, Brian Crockett 1, Pat Hogan 1, Dan DiPietro 1.
Syracuse Assists: Alex Zink 1, Michael Springer 1, Sean Lindsay 1, Brian Crockett 1, Brian Nee.
Princeton Goals: Jason Doneger 5, Brad Dumont 2, Sean Hartofilis 1, Ryan Boyle 1, Owen Daly 1, Damien Davis 1.
Princeton Assists: Matt Trevenen 1, Will MacColl 1, Sean Hartofilis 1, Ryan Boyle 1.
Shots: Syracuse 36, Princeton 36
Saves: Syracuse 10 (Jay Pfeifer); Princeton 12 (Julian Gould)
Groundballs: Syracuse 40, Princeton 40
Faceoffs: Syracuse 15-24, Princeton 9-24
Clears: Syracuse 19-23, Princeton 20-24
EMO: Syracuse 2-4, Princeton 0-6
Penalties: Syracuse 6/4:30, Princeton 4/5:00
Attendance: 8,827
