Both the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team and the PU softball team had hopes of doing better in NCAA tournament play this past weekend. But for each team, the weekend only signified the end of their season.
The men’s lacrosse team, seeded No. 4 in the tournament, traveled to Syracuse and dropped a 15-5 decision to the fifth-seeded Orangemen. The loss sends Syracuse, the defending national champion, back to the final four. Princeton finishes the season with an 11-4 record.
"We ran into a buzz saw today," Princeton coach Bill Tierney said. "That’s all there is to it."
Princeton trailed 7-1 at halftime and was never able to get back into the game. By the end of the third quarter it was 11-1, before the teams traded goals in the final quarter.
Michael Powell scored four goals and added three assists to pace Syracuse, which will face Johns Hopkins in one national semifinal at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday. In the other semifinal, Virginia will meet Maryland.
"It’s a tough way to end your career," said Princeton defenseman Damien Davis, who started every game for four years as a Tiger and is a leading candidate for national defenseman of the year. "They were great. Powell was great."
The loss keeps Princeton out of the final four for the first time since 1999, when the Tigers lost at Syracuse in the quarterfinals. Sean Hartofolis, one of 13 Princeton seniors, led the scoring with three goals.
The PU softball team looked like it was heading to an upset win in its opening round NCAA tournament game on Thursday in Tuscon, Ariz. The Tigers led South Carolina, 7-2, entering the bottom of the ninth, but allowed six runs and lost, 8-7. On Friday, the Tigers were eliminated from the six-team regional with a 6-0 loss to Boston College.
Princeton was the No. 5 seed in the regional, while South Carolina was No. 2 and BC was No. 6.
"It just wasn’t our day," Princeton head coach Maureen Barron said after the loss to Boston College. "We had a disappointing loss last night despite great offense, and we didn’t bring that same offensive game with us today."
Against South Carolina, Melissa Finley and Kristin Lueke each went 3-for-4 with two runs scored but five Princeton errors and a three-run homer by the Gamecocks in the bottom of the seventh cost Princeton. The Tigers led 7-2 before giving up six runs, including Megan Corbett’s game-winning homer.
Against Boston College, the Tigers were only able to manage six hits, two of them by Lueke.

