SPECIALTY PROTECTION
WOMEN'S PROTECTIVE
Watching the Towson Tigers play offense is the most exciting thing in the tournament in recent history. It's like watching that western "Young Guns" with Billy the kid. Attackman Kyle Campbell plays the role of Billy the kid tallying over 50 kills/goals this year. Hunter Lochte is the guy who uses the shotgun with his wicked outside lefty cranks. Brad Reppert, Josh Tankersley, and crew are running and gunning with the kind of accuracy that is legendary. Princeton goalie Trevor Tierney didn't let in any goals that he even had a chance on. The problem with the "Young Guns" is that they are undisciplined. They made too many passes through Princeton sticks and took on a ton of unnecessary heat by constantly being penalized. Some of the penalties were questionable on the refs' part, drawing loud boo's from the crowd, but you can't blame it all on the officials. Princeton played it smart, big surprise. Even the freshman Ryan Boyle plays with the savy relegated to seniors. Falling down at the right time to draw the push from behind or pulling the ball out unless it was a guaranteed scoring chance are traits of the perennial powerhouse Princeton Tigers. Next year, the young Towson team will be dangerous only graduating a few seniors even though Horrigan is one of them, but for now it will be Princeton vs. Syracuse. Lets hope it's more exciting than last years final.
Justin Berry took the face for Towson against Matt Bailer for longstick Ryan Mollett to scoop and break for Princeton. The ball was immediately worked inside for a point blank shot that Horrigan stuffed for his first of many in the first quarter. Towson cleared for a break the other way. Ryan Obloj fed Kyle Campbell in the low righty crank spot where he shot high in the right corner, 1-0. Following the next face BJ Prager was fed on the crease, but Horrigan was sharp for the second time. Streibel tried to feed the crease again for Princeton, but the ball sailed out of bounds. Towson worked the ball on offense by forcing feeds on the crease. They had the ball knocked down twice, but managed to keep possession to set up Obloj against Princeton defender Damien Davis. Obloj got past Davis from behind with an over the head move too come out in front of the net and shoot wide. Princeton cleared to set up Prager who beat his man and got inside only to get snuffed out by Horrigan again. Towson cleared to set up Obloj who was having his way with Davis and came around for a one hand shot that flew out of bounds to set up a Princeton clear. Prager gets off another shot, but perhaps trying to be too fine after being stoned, he shot wide. Towson was closest and cleared on the inbound.
At 7:48 Towson made it 2-0. Hunter Lochte fed across the restraining line to Josh Tankersley standing in the high lefty crank spot with his stick in his outside right hand. He stepped five yards inside the restraining line and nailed the opposite goalie stick side upper left. Princeton got the ball back on offense for Horrigan to stuff Bailer on a point blank quick stick from the crease. At 6:58 Princten got the fast break and Boyle hit the diagonal pass to the low lefty spot in Sean Hartofolis for low fake and high score, 2-1. Towson was dominating time of possession and looked smooth. After 1 minute of sustained attack they backed Princeton's defense in enough for Tankersley to feed Lochte from the top. Lochte caught the ball in his wheelhouse, the lefty wing, and whistled one to the upper right corner. Princeton answered at 3:40 with an identical play, Prager feeding Hartofolis, 3-2. Hartofolis tried again after the next face, but Horrigan made his 5th outstanding save of the quarter. Princeton regained their composure late in the first quarter and drew the first of many penalties on Towson. Wesley Speaks took a penalty with only seconds remaining for Princeton to hold and start the second with possession.
Towson killed the penalty to open the first and worked it back to offense where attacker Reppert found himself against a shorty in Rob Torti. He beat him once to the goal, but Tierney turned it away. The next time the slide came and Reppert threw ball away. Princeton cleared and after a shot Will MacColl drove from behind to his right. When he got near goal line extended he popped the pass to Prager who managed to push the ball towards the goal and in despite having a defender hanging on his stick. They took the lead 22 seconds later off the face. The ball went towards Princeton's goal for Bailer to emerge and take it all the way to the Towson goal and score, 4-3. Towson went man-up shortly after and ran the wheel towards the lefties, but Repperts shot was on the outside of the net. In the Princeton clear attempt Towson took a penalty for slashing and it cost them. Princeton held while it was 5 on 5 and then attacked when the extra man came. Chris Harrington carried goal line extended to Horrigan's left when he hit the diagonal pass to Torti high to Horrigans right. Torti blew it through horrigan's legs, 5-3. With around five minutes left their was a sequence on Princeton's offense that may have been as close to perfect lacrosse as it gets. Princeton passed the ball with precision quickly constantly hitting the open man on five or six straight passes. However, Towson's sliding rotation was just as perfect drawing aplause from the crowd. Wesley Speaks put an end to the magic with his second penalty of the day to put Princeton on the man-up. They fed Prager on the crease for a shot wide and then again for a shot that was stuffed by Horrigan. Prager grabbed the rebound and shot behind his back for another save by Horrigan. Towson broke with the ball and set up Campbell, but Tierney wasn't havin' it. On the ensuing scramble Reppert took a Penalty to put Princeton up again. They capatalized for the second time in the quarter. In a 3-3 formation Boyle fed from the top center to Harrington who slipped in to the left of Horrigan untouched and finished, 6-3. Losing by one goal really hurts after the next goal Towson let up. With 36 seconds in the half Josh white inbounded the ball from the corner. Jason Doneger was accross the field in the low righty wing spot. White threw the forty yard pass and miscommunication on defense led to Doneger stepping in all alone and ripping it past Horrigan, 7-3. Towson came right back and made it 7-4 when Obloj got inside his defender coming from behind to his left. The slide never came and Tierney was beat.
The third quarter was forgettable in a lot of ways. Sloppy play and a goal apiece led to an 8-5 score going into the fourth. Both teams completely blew man-up opportunities with picked off passes and dropped balls. Towson was especialy sloppy and didn't take care of the ball. Towson also contiually got penalties drawing thunderous boo's from the crowd. Some of the calls against them in the third were especially weak. Maybe the officials were trying to make a few make-up calls and they sent Damien Davis to the box for Princeton on a weak hold call. Princeton also got a delay of game penalty so Towson started the fourth two men up.
Lochte struck again on the man-up with another one of his patented lefty blasts to the upper right, 8-6. Princeton came right back only seconds later making it 9-6 at the 14:20 mark. Off the next face the ball changed possession twice before Princeton got control on offense. Hartofolis was about fifteen yards out to Horrigan's left with a man on him. He pulled his stick lefty down to his ankles and whipped his body around and his stick over the top for a wicked shot that came in just under the pipe. You've got to love offset heads. Longstick Adam Baxter took his turn in the box for Towson at 13:32. Princeton cashed in. Horrigan made the initial save an broke Josh Cornett out, but his cross field pass was picked off and worked into Prager. Prager wound up all alone and beat Horrigan for a 10-6 score. Towson got a man-up goal back at 9:48. Reppert came from behind to his left and faked a pass to the wingman. The low defense was frozen long enough for him to curl around and beat Tierney, 10-7. At 9:07 Brad Monaco worked his way along goal line extended to Tierney's left. He face-dodged his way inside and hit Reppert on the doorstep cross crease for quick stick. Both players were pushed from behind into the crease, but call wiped out by goal. Berry won the next face after a Princeton time out and went back to Horrigan for the clear. Davis picked off Monaco's feed and Princeton went back on offense. Baxter did a great job on Boyle to make him get off a weak shot. However the clearing attempt was turned around for a Princeton goal. Prager got the ball in front of the cage. Horrigan had come way out of the cage to surprise him, but prager quickly threw it over his shoulder in the empty net, 11-9.
After Berry won the face again for Towson they got Davis on a push to put them man-up. Campbell got the ball with little angle to Tierney's right. He hesitated and then pinged the upper right, 11-10. Princeton got possession and looked like they were going to kill the clock. A towson middie jumped a guy from behind and alertly started the fast break. Reppert converted it for the 11-11 tie. Berry won the face again, but when he tried to go back to Horrigan for the fourth time in the quarter Prager anticipated. As Horrigan caught the ball Prager was all over him and got him to cough it up. In the scrum Princeton recovered and got it to Hartofolis who cranked from outside. It wasn't a great shot, but it looked like it deflected on the way in to make it 12-11. Berry won the next face and Towson was pressing. Obloj had Mollett behind and Mollett slipped and fell. Obloj came around all alone and shot only to have Tierney step up and get a shoulder on it. That was the save of the game. Princeton chucked the ball downfield with time running out, but Towson turned it right back. They fed Lochte for a crank, but he didn't get much on it for an easy Tierney save.
| Scoring | |
|---|---|
| Brad Monaco | (0, 3) |
| Kyle Campbell | (3, 0) |
| Hunter Lochte | (2, 1) |
| Ryan Obloj | (1, 2) |
| Brad Reppert | (3, 0) |
| Josh Tankersley | (1, 2) |
| Jay Horowitz | (1, 0) |
| Saves | |
|---|---|
| John Horrigan | 14 (0.538) |
| Current Record | |
|---|---|
| Towson | 14-4 |
| Saves | |
|---|---|
| Trevor Tierney | 13 (0.542) |
| Current Record | |
|---|---|
| Princeton | 13-1 |
