In a stunning upset, Dartmouth defeated nationally ranked No. 2 Princeton in men’s lacrosse April 16, setting up a possible three-way tie atop the Ivy League.
The Tigers, playing without suspended star attackman Sean Hartofilis, could not fend off the surging Big Green, who beat Princeton for the first time in 14 meetings.
In addition, No. 12 Cornell beat Brown April 26, giving the Big Red a 5-1 final league record. If Princeton and Dartmouth both win their upcoming final league games, the resulting three-way tie will force a random drawing to decide who receives the Ivy League’s automatic NCAA tournament bid.
In other Ivy League action last week, Harvard lost to No. 17 Notre Dame; Princeton and Brown won nonleague games.
Dartmouth 13, Princeton 6
At Princeton’s Class of 1952 Stadium, over 1,000 fans saw their Tigers (9-3, 4-1 Ivy) fall to Dartmouth (10-2, 4-1), 13-6.
Sophomore goalie Andrew Goldstein led the Big Green, stonewalling Princeton top scorer Ryan Boyle with 17 saves. Boyle, an All-American, managed one goal and two assists, giving him the Ivy record for assists in a league season. Boyle’s linemate, Hartofilis, was suspended for a game for a violation of team rules, allowing Dartmouth’s defense to focus on Boyle.
Tom Daniels’ four goals and Ben Grinnell’s hat trick accounted for much of the scoring for Dartmouth, who led 6-2 at halftime.
If Dartmouth wins at Harvard May 2 and Princeton defeats Brown May 3, a three-way tie for the Ivy League crown would result. All tiebreakers between the three teams would be even, so a random drawing would determine which team gets the automatic NCAA bid.
Cornell 14, Brown 4
Cornell (8-4, 5-1) jumped to a 4-0 lead and held off the Bears (4-9, 1-4) in an impressive Ivy League finale for the visiting Big Red.
Dave Pittard and Sean Greenhalgh scored four goals each in the win, which clinched a share of the Ivy League title for Cornell.
By halftime, Brown trailed 9-2, but goalie Mike Levin made 11 saves to keep the deficit from growing much larger.
Cornell’s title is its first since it won the league outright in 1987.
Notre Dame 16, Harvard 11
The Crimson (4-9, 1-4) extended a four-game losing streak with its 16-11 loss in South Bend, Ind., April 26.
Eight different players tallied goals for the Fighting Irish, including Steve Clagett and Travis Wells, who registered hat tricks.
Notre Dame led 12-4 early in the third quarter before Harvard climbed back into the game, helped by Sean Kane’s four goals.
Harvard sits in a tie with Penn and Brown at the bottom of the Ivy League.
Princeton 6, Loyola 5, (2 OT)
Princeton’s loss on Saturday was foreshadowed by its struggles against No. 19 Loyola April 22.
Jason Doneger scored the Tigers’ game-winning goal, his third of the game, 38 seconds into the second overtime period.
Princeton took a 3-0 halftime lead, only to squander it; Loyola tied the game with 4:45 left in regulation. Hartofilis and Boyle each notched a goal for the Tigers.
Brown 11, Providence 5
Brown won bragging rights in its crosstown rivalry, beating the Friars 11-5 April 22.
Jon Thompson led the Bears with four goals and two assists, while Brian Miller and Britton Derkac added two goals apiece.
Brown held a 7-3 lead at halftime, and Levin made 11 saves to help the Bears.