Men’s lacrosse falls 6–5 in NCAA playoffs

Princeton men’s lacrosse ended its season with a 6–5 loss at the University of Virginia in the first round of the NCAA playoffs May 13. The Tigers had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Virginia midfielder Chris LaPierre used his chest to block a shot by Forest Sonnenfeldt ’13 to seal the victory. 

Players other than goalies rarely use their bodies to block shots going 90 miles per hour, but LaPierre’s play was a fitting end to an intense contest defined by the two defensive units. Princeton clawed back from a 5–2 halftime deficit, and Tom Schreiber ’14 scored with 1:19 left in the fourth to bring the Tigers within one goal. Princeton won the ensuing faceoff and generated three good scoring opportunities before LaPierre’s stop gave the ball back to Virginia.

After starting the year 2–2, Princeton won eight of nine games to finish the regular season, including a perfect 6–0 record against Ivy League opponents. Goalie Tyler Fiorito ’12 was the unanimous choice for Ivy Player of the Year. In the Ivy League tournament, played at the Class of ’52 Stadium May 4 and 6, Princeton topped Brown in the semifinals but lost a surprisingly lopsided final to Yale, 15–7. 

Despite losing the league’s automatic bid to Yale, Princeton received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Championships. The Tigers finished the season with an 11–5 record.