No. 19 Bulldogs Fall One Shy of Tigers
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – An inspired bunch of
Bulldogs nearly outlasted a pack of Tigers today. The No. 19 Yale
men's lacrosse team fell, 7-6, to fifth-ranked Princeton
before 1,002 fans at Reese Stadium in a game that was tied after
six different goals.
Princeton rookie midfielder Jeff Froccaro, who beat Penn a week
ago with an overtime goal, hit the net with 37 seconds left for the
winner that gave the Tigers a 2-0 Ivy mark.
There was still plenty of action after the eventual winner. The
Tigers won the face-off but turned the ball over. Yale sophomore
midfielder Gregory Mahony fired a shot wide of the cage, and Yale
retained possession with time running out. That's when
defenseman Chad Wiedmaier forced a Brendan Gibson turnover and
Princeton got the ball back as the clock ran out.
Six different Bulldogs scored goals as their record fell to 4-2
(0-2 Ivy). Brendan Gibson, not one of the players with a score, had
two assists. Last year, the Elis had seven different players hit
the net against Princeton.
Max Rodman, Yale's senior midfielder, kept his percentage
among the national leaders by taking 10 of the 16 face-offs.
The stats proved how even this contest was: The Bulldogs had a
39-34 edge in shots, while also having a 31-26 advantage in ground
balls.
Yale junior goalie Johnathan Falcone made eight saves and came
very close to helping his squad pull off the upset.
Jack McBride led the Tigers (6-1) with three goals and five
points while his brother, Chris, was Princeton's only other
multiple-goal scorer. Tyler Fiorito finished with 15 saves.
A Matt Fuchs goal with 5:53 left in the third was the
frame's only goal and gave the Blue its second and final lead
at 5-4.
The McBride brothers followed with extra-man scores early in the
fourth to take the lead back again.
Andrew Cordia's first collegiate goal could not have come
at a bigger time in the game. The freshman midfielder converted a
Brendan Gibson pass with three minutes left to even the score for
the sixth time.
It was 2-2 after 15 minutes and 4-4 at halftime with four
different Bulldogs hitting the net and Jack McBride getting half of
the Tiger tallies. The visitors had a 19-16 advantage in shots
taken, but Falcone came up big in the first half with seven saves.
The most important variable for Yale over the first 30 minutes may
have been Rodman winning six of 10 face-offs, especially since the
Elis had nine turnovers.
The Bulldogs are home next weekend to take on Penn.
Recap filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director
Matt Fuchs image by Sam Rubin '95
