Michael Sowers has been the nation’s best player in the month of February. On Saturday, his Princeton squad proved it’s much more than a one-man show.
The unranked Tigers (3-0) led most of the way in a 16-12 victory at No. 2 Virginia, snapping the Cavaliers’ 10-game winning streak dating back to last year.
Virginia’s only lead of the game came with 3:58 left in the first half, when faceoff specialist Petey LaSalla scored just eight seconds after a Matt Moore goal to cap a three-goal rally that gave the Cavaliers a 7-6 advantage.
Sowers tied it up with 1:53 left in the half and then, after Virginia shot early instead of holding for the final shot of the first half, Sowers fed Chris Brown for a goal with just 10 seconds left in the quarter to give the Tigers an 8-7 lead.
Princeton stretched the lead to 12-8 late in the third quarter before it looked like Virginia was primed to make one of the patented second-half runs it made on the way to the national championship last year.
Virginia’s Payton Cormier and Dox Aitken scored just 28 seconds apart to make it 12-10 with 2:03 left in the third quarter and had a chance for more. But Matt Moore’s pass to an open cutter sailed high, and Sowers wrapped up the quarter on the other end of the field with a beautiful spin move to give the Tigers a 13-10 lead.
Virginia made another run, with goals by Moore and Ian Laviano in the fourth quarter to get within one. A series of quick passes on the Virginia offensive end gave Chris Merle an open look to try to tie the game, but Princeton goalie Erik Peters made a save on the doorstep and Princeton’s Phillip Robertson converted on the other end. The Tigers closed the game scoring three straight goals.
Peters made six first-quarter saves to frustrate Virginia’s offense early and finished the game with 16, one shy of his career-high.
Sowers, the nation’s leading scorer, was magnificent once again. The senior attackman had four goals and four assists and now has 33 points after just three games this season. Brown and Robertson each had four goals for Princeton as well.
Laviano led Virginia with three goals, Alex Rode made 14 saves and Petey LaSalla won 17 of 27 faceoffs. Virginia forced Princeton into eight failed clears, but was hurt by frequently by its 15 turnovers.
Lulley, Penn Rally Past Duke
No. 10 Penn scored the final four goals of the game, handing No. 8 Duke its second February loss of the season, beating the Blue Devils 14-11 in a game played in Charlotte, N.C.
Duke scored two straight goals to open the fourth quarter, moving in front 11-10 on C.J. Carpenter’s tally with 12:30 remaining.
Penn responded, tying the game with 7:14 left on James Shipley’s goal, and then took the lead on Ben Bedard’s goal with 5:55 to play. Dylan Gergar and Sean Lulley added insurance goals.
Lulley had a monster game with six goals and had the assist on Bedard’s game-winning goal.
UNC’s Gray Gives Hopkins the Blues
Chris Gray continues to be the missing piece for North Carolina. The junior, who scored 111 points at Boston University last season, scored eight goals as the No. 9 Tar Heels (4-0) dominated No. 14 Johns Hopkins 17-10 at Homewood Field.
Gray has 27 points in carrying the Tar Heels to a 4-0 start and the eight goals he scored on Saturday was a career-best.
Leading 5-4 after the first quarter, UNC scored four straight goals to open the second quarter and led by at least four the rest of the way.
Tanner Cooked added a hat trick for the Tar Heels. UNC converted five of seven extra-man chances.