Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/27/16
From Press Release
It was a good game, a close game, a game that appeard to match playoff-level teams.
In the unforgiving world of NCAA lacrosse, though, it only matters who wins and who loses. Hofstra knows that, having lost seven one-goal games in the last two years, and so the Pride can appreciate how Princeton was feeling after the game Saturday afternoon.
Josh Byrne’s fifth goal of the game came on the first possession of overtime and gave Hofstra an 11-10 win over Princeton Saturday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. The Tigers had come back from a 10-8 deficit to force the overtime on goals from Bobby Weaver and Gavin McBride (Haverford School).
Will Reynolds caused a turnover to get Princeton the last possession of regulation, but the Tigers couldn’t get a shot off before time expired. Hofstra then won the face-off and scored in transition, as longstick Tanner Griffin fed Byrne on the doorstep. Byrne’s goal came with 14 seconds gone in the OT.
Hofstra began the season unranked but vaulted to 12th in one poll and 13th in the other after a 10-5 win over North Carolina a week ago. Byrne, a junior college transfer, had four goals against UNC.
Princeton continues down the road of its tough schedule, playing at Johns Hopkins next Saturday and then home against Maryland March 12 before heading into the Ivy League season.
GAME NOTES
* Dylan Alderman (Bishop Shanahn) and Trevor Kupecky (Upper Merion) each scored once for Hofstra.
* Princeton trailed 10-8 when Bobby Weaver scored with 5:21 to go, cutting it to one. McBride tied it with 3:41 left with his third of the day. Weaver, a senior, scored twice, for the first two goals of his career. McBride extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 17.
* Ryan Ambler (Abington) had two goals and four assists, giving him 61 goals and 72 assists for his career and making him the 11th player in program history with at least 60 career goals and 60 career assists. Ambler moved to 11th all-time at Princeton in assists and 19th in points.
* Zach Currier had 11 ground balls and four caused turnovers while winning 5 of 9 face-offs. Currier is the first Princeton player to have double figures in a game since John Cunningham did at North Carolina in 2010.
* Riley Thompson and Dawson McKenzie each had a goal and assist. Austin Sims had a goal for the second straight week.
* Princeton outshot Hofstra 32-26. The Tigers led 3-0 early and 6-5 at halftime.
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