Hofstra University hosted the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse tournament quarterfinal round at James M. Shuart Stadium on Saturday, May 21. The event consisted of two matches: No. 6 Rutgers University vs No. 3 University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) at 12 p.m., and No. 5 Princeton University vs. No. 4 Yale University at 2:30 p.m.
The first game was an 11-9 fourth-quarter comeback victory for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights over the UPenn Quakers. The first quarter began at a stalemate, before Rutgers attacker Ross Scott became the first to penetrate the UPenn defense just over ten minutes into the frame. The Scarlet Knights doubled their edge when attacker Shane Knobloch netted his 30th goal of the season, finishing the first quarter at 2-0.
The Quakers showed that they can hit fast and hard in the second quarter when Gabe Furey scored 72 seconds into play, followed by another goal by Cam Ruben to tie the score at two. Rutgers pumped the breaks on UPenn’s momentum when midfielder Ronan Jacoby scored. Although the Quakers had another goal of their own at the ten-minute mark, that didn’t stop Rutgers midfielder Ethan Rall from responding with a goal of his own, taking the lead once again for the Scarlet Knights. Senior UPenn attacker Dylan Gergar challenged the Scarlet Knights again by tying the score at four with 54 seconds left to play.
The Scarlet Knights came out of halftime flaming hot as Mitch Bartolo scored just two minutes into the third quarter, followed by Zackary Fanckowiak’s slick slide-in shot that went right between the goalie’s legs. The Quakers responded, looking for their first lead of the day when Gergar scored his second goal of the game at 9:38. The scoring streak was continued by Robert Schain with his first goal of the season, taking the game to a tied score going into the fourth quarter.
Rutgers got a taste of their own medicine when Chris Canet’s first goal of the season gave UPenn their first lead of the game just 80 seconds into the fourth quarter. Then, Gergar completed a hat trick less than three minutes into the frame, doubling the Quaker’s lead over the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers didn’t stay at a deficit for long though, answering with three consecutive goals to end the Quaker’s rampage and taking the lead back.
Knobloch kept the Scarlet Knights’ velocity going when he met resistance from a UPenn defender, twisting around him to complete a hat trick and double the advantage over the Quakers. Bryant Boswell’s slick possession of the ball, followed by a sleek cut through the field uncontested, led him to shoot and score his first goal of the season at point-blank range, resulting in Rutgers’ largest lead of the game. UPenn sought to cut into that lead when Gergar scored his fourth goal of the day, bridging the gap to two points. That wasn’t enough for the Quakers though, as the final buzzer sounded with the score at 11-9, sending Rutgers to the semi-final round of the NCAA tournament.
“Proud of our guys and their commitment to focus and the tireless effort they put in each week,” said Rutgers head coach Brian Brecht, commending the team. “They prepared awful hard.”
“Sticking as one; you can turn on each other really quick, but we don’t have that type of culture,” said senior midfielder Cole Daninger. “We’re all best friends; we have the best time in locker room, and I think that really shows on the field because we all work together so well.”
The second game saw the Princeton Tigers defeat the Yale Bulldogs by a final score of 14-10. Princeton’s attacker Coulter Mackesy scored just seven seconds after the starting buzzer sounded, confirming that the Tigers were out for blood during their matinee match. The Bulldogs were swift with their response, scoring three back-to-back goals all within two and a half minutes of each other. That may not have been the intended result, as it pushed the Tigers to respond with three consecutive goals of their own, finishing the first quarter 4-3.
Princeton continued their campaign from the first quarter into the second as they went on a four-goal streak before Yale could take the game back into their own hands. Yale midfielders Chris Lyons and Christian Cropp netted a goal each, bringing the score up to 8-5 in favor of Princeton going into halftime.
The third quarter was marked by a rhythmic tussle between the two teams, one scoring and the other answering on loop. The first to make it on the scoreboard in the frame was attacker Brad Sharp for the Bulldogs, provoking a Tigers’ attacker to respond with his second goal of the day. The two teams took turns scoring, each netting four goals before heading into the fourth quarter with a 12-9 count.
The fourth quarter started off sluggish, with neither team able to score until Princeton attacker Chris Brown broke the stalemate and found the back of the net. Yale had a similar idea when they followed through with a goal of their own just 70 seconds later. Princeton had one final resurgence in the form of Sam English completing a hat trick with 30 seconds left on the scoreboard, sending the Tigers to the semi-final round of the NCAA tournament.
“I mean it’s everything for us [to make the Final Four],” said Princeton men’s lacrosse head coach Matt Madalon. “We were unranked, and we knew just how much we needed to work. We trusted the game plan, and we’re so fortunate to be here and really excited with the outcome.”
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lee Weissman
