Box Score PRINCETON, N.J. – A five-goal third quarter by Princeton proved too much for the No. 8 Cornell men's lacrosse team to overcome, as the Tigers earned a hard-fought 14-8 victory on its Senior Day at Class of 1952 Stadium. The loss snaps the Big Red's seven-game winning streak as Cornell slips to 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the Ivy League. Princeton, winners of five straight, improves to 8-5 overall and 3-3 in the conference and will await the winner of the Brown/Dartmouth game to see if its season will continue next weekend at the Ivy League Tournament.
Cornell was led by
Clarke Petterson (three assists) and
Jordan Dowiak (two goals, one assist) with three points apiece.
Connor Fletcher also added two goals. Altogether, eight different Big Red found the scoring column, including goals from defensive midfielders
Dan Bockelman and
Scott Flynn, with Flynn's being the first of his career.
In a game that was hyped as a battle between two of the best offenses in the nation, it was both team's defenses that were outstanding in six-on-six situations.
Cornell's defense caused 10 of Princeton's 14 turnovers, with two apiece from
Jake Pulver and
Dom Doria. Pulver also finished with two ground balls and did a solid job on Michael Sowers, holding the second leading scorer in the nation to just two goals and two assists, with all but one coming in the second half of play as Princeton extended its lead.
On the other end of the field, Princeton's George Baughan was outstanding, holding
Jeff Teat, the nation's leading scorer, to zero points for the first time in 22 games. Behind him, senior goalie Tyler Blaisdell made 10 saves to become just the second goalie this season to save better than .500 percent against the Big Red, and held Cornell to a season-low eight goals.
Princeton's offense was opportunistic with four goals coming in transition or unsettled situations, while the Big Red's offense, one of the best shooting units in the nation, had four shots hit the post, including three during the decisive third quarter.
The game was closer than the final score indicated with the Tigers holding the slim edge in shots (38-33), ground balls (28-25) and face-offs (14-of-24).
Cornell went 2-of-5 in man-up opportunities, while holding Princeton to an 0-4 performance.
The second-seed Big Red will open the Ivy League Tournament by taking on the No. 3 seed in the first semifinal on Friday, May 4 at 8:30 p.m. at Columbia's Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wein Stadium. Final tournament seeding will be determined at the conclusion of this afternoon's Brown/Dartmouth game. If the Bears win, they will earn the No. 3 seed. If the Big Green wins then Penn will earn the No. 3 seed.
