Men's Lacrosse Falls to Fifth-Ranked Princeton, 18-11, in Contest Televised by ESPNU

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Princeton, N.J. – Sophomore attack Jack McBride had six goals one assist, a career-high scoring total, in leading fifth-ranked Princeton to an 18-11 victory over UAlbany on Friday, March 20 at Class of 1952 Stadium. The contest was televised nationally on ESPNU.

Princeton (5-1) led 11-7 midway through the third quarter, but then pulled away with three unanswered. Chris McBride, Jack’s cousin, connected low on an underhanded shot from the right side. After UAlbany switched goalkeepers, the Tigers continued their decisive run when Rich Sgalardi fired in a shot around a screen. Mark Kovler, who matched a career-best with four goals, then found the net with a two-man advantage.

The Tigers, who are No. 5 in both the USILA and Nike/Inside Lacrosse polls, were ahead 15-9 in the final period, but then added three in a row. Kovler sent a laser beam past back-up goalkeeper Dan McKeon with 10:40 to play. Jack McBride, last year’s Ivy League rookie of the year, then scored twice, including one by beating a defensive double-team and another off a failed clear.

“I watched their Johns Hopkins game on tape, but that was their best shooting performance of the season,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr, whose team moved up to No. 17 in both national polls on Monday. “You can’t make mistakes against a team of that quality. They capitalized on everything that we did wrong.”

Princeton reversed a 2-1 deficit in the first quarter with three consecutive goals. Josh Lesko, a senior midfielder, put his team ahead in an unsettled situation when a UAlbany defender fell down and Tommy Davis set up the shot with a diagonal pass. Jack McBride scored the second of three first-half goals when he drove around the cage and converted from right of the crease.

UAlbany (4-2) would later close within 5-4 when Brian Caufield, who had three goals and one assist, cut to the middle of zone and sent Joe Resetarits’ feed into the top left corner. But the Tigers came right back 22 seconds later when Joe Pompo mishandled a pass near the crease and Lesko turned that miscue into a transition scoring play as he went low into the net.

The Tigers, who avenged last year’s eight-goal loss in the Capital Region, led by two after one quarter and still were in front 7-5 midway through the second period. Jack McBride moved a long clearing pass to the middle of the field and found Chris McBride at the top of the crease with 5:14 left in the stanza. Kovler gave his team a four-goal halftime cushion 50 seconds later when he worked his way to the right and blasted a 15-yard shot into the far low corner.

Chris McBride had a career day with four goals and one assist, while freshman goalkeeper Tyler Fiorito made 13 saves. Resetarits had three goals and one assist for the Great Danes, who last played on this field in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. UAlbany was without the services of leading goal-scorer Corey Small who did not travel due to a lower leg injury

“We need to graduate from our mistakes,” explained Marr, whose club begins America East Conference play on March 28 at Binghamton. “We have to clear the ball better and not go offsides at critical times This loss makes the league even more important. “


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#17 UAlbany (4-2) 4 1 2 4 - 11

#5 Princeton (5-1) 6 3 5 4 - 18

UAlbany – Scoring: Joe Resetarits 3-1, Brian Caufield 3-1, Derek Kreuzer 2-0, Joe Pompo 1-0, Chris Schongar 1-0, Luke Cometti 1-0; Rocky Bonitatibus 0-2, Dave Brock 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): John Carroll (41:39, 5 saves, 14 GA), Dan McKeon (18:21, 4 saves, 4 GA).

Princeton: Scoring: Jack McBride 6-1, Chris McBride 4-1, Mark Kovler 4-0, Rich Sgalardi 2-1, Josh Lesko 2-0, Tommy Davis 0-4, Scott MacKenzie 0-2, Rob Engelke 0-1, Tyler Moni 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Tyler Fiorito (56:01, 13 saves, 10 GA), Nikhil Ashra (3:59, 1 save, 1 GA).