(Photo Courtesy of Princeton Athletics)
This weekend was headlined by numerous rivalry games and it is safe to say that each and every contest delivered.
From the play on the field to the size of the crowds, it is hard to argue that this weekend wasn’t the best of the season. The raw emotion. The will to win. The postseason implications. It was all there and it was beautiful.
Here is a look at some takeaways from this past rivalry weekend:
Big-Time Players Make Big Plays in The Dome
After a narrow win over Florida State in 2000, Miami wide receiver Santa Moss said in a sideline interview, “big-time players, step up in big games.” That quote was the first thing that ran through my head after Sam English’s game-winner with 48 ticks left on Saturday. English popped from the middle, grabbed the pass from Luke Roha, got free of the Virginia defense, came back to the middle of the field, and went low-to-low five hole past Nunes. The Dome erupted as the goal gave the Orange the 18-17 lead and eventual win.
A transfer from Princeton, English has two assists on the day in addition to the game-winning score. Fellow Princeton transfer Jake Stevens (2G/2A) has four points while Lehigh transfer Christian Mule’ had a hat trick. Owen Hiltz notched eight points off three goals and five assists. Mason Kohn, a Tufts transfer, went 56% at the dot.
It wasn’t just offensive guys that made big plays for the Orange. Will Mark made 15 saves including a game-saving stop with just seconds left. Bill Dwan was the Orange’s most impactful pole has he had three caused turnovers, three ground balls, and a score. His final caused turnover came on McCabe Million with 22 seconds left and helped limit Virginia’s chances in those final seconds.
No matter their path to Syracuse, each player on that Orange roster came there to play in games like what we saw unfold on Saturday. And it was those players who stepped up in the end that made all the difference.
Ierlan, Hopkins Defense Deliver
Johns Hopkins beat Maryland 7-5 in front of a raucous crowd of over 10,000 at Homewood Field on Saturday afternoon. The win gave the Blue Jays bragging rights of their arch rival and granted them the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Headlining the Blue Jays in the win was their defense. Neither team scored in the final period of play and Johns Hopkins held Maryland off the board for the final 23 minutes of the contest. Maryland was 5-for-33 shooting on the day 2-for-11 shooting in the second half (0-for-6 in the fourth). Shot selection played a part in the Terrapins’ offensive woes but so did the impact of the Hopkins defense and in particular the play of Chayse Ierlan.
Ierlan was locked in from start to finish on Saturday evening. The goalie stood tall in between the pipes for the Blue Jays, making 11 saves with a 68% save percentage.
McMeekin, Gianforcaro Shine
Coming into Saturday’s Princeton-Penn game the two areas I was most unsure where the advantage lied was at the faceoff dot and the goalie position. Both Princeton and Penn have been inconsistent and more average than good or great at the faceoff dot this season. At the goalie position, however, Penn’s Emmett Carroll and Princeton’s Michael Gianforcaro have been two of the best all year.
On Saturday, it ended up being Princeton who gained the edged and shined the brightest at those specialist positions. Princeton beat Penn 15-10 in a game where the Tigers, more or less, held a consistent five-goal led from the middle of the second quarter on. Tigers faceoff man Andrew McMeekin was a big part of his team’s success on the day as he had arguably his best game of the year. The sophomore went 16-for-27 (59%) at the dot and also scored two goals. Both his scores came during Princeton’s game-shifting five-goal run in the second quarter. His first of the day sparked that run.
Michael Gianforcaro was locked in all day in cage, making 15 saves with a 60% save percentage. He was perhaps his best in the middle of the game, making six saves in the second frame and five in the third to help the Tigers turn the tide. Gianforcaro made his highlight-reel play late in the contest, taking it himself on the clear before finishing with a backhanded score.
May Michigan Rising?
Last year, Michigan came into the Ohio State game riding a two-game losing streak and looking like a team that not many would consider as a Big Ten title contender. However, a win over their arch rival sparked a five-game winning streak that carried the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Could we be on the verge of seeing another similar late-season run for the Wolverines?
On Saturday, after losing their last three games, the Wolverines came out firing in Columbus and held on to beat rival Ohio State 13-12. The win secures them home field advantage in the Big Ten Quarterfinals next weekend versus Ohio State. It’s complete deja vu in Ann Arbor. How long will it last, however, is the question.
Lacrosse Bucket 