Hempstead, NY * Senior midfielder Rocco Romero (Denver, CO/Boys' Latin School) had two goals as the fifth-seeded Cornell Men's Lacrosse team won a 6-4 defensive struggle over fourth-seeded Princeton in a battle of Ivy League co-champions on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse quarterfinals at James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University.

Cornell improves to 12-3 and moves on to the NCAA semifinals next weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, against the winner of tomorrow's Virginia-Johns Hopkins game. Princeton ends its season at 13-3.


The Big Red took a 5-1 lead into halftime, but Princeton was able to cut the lead to 5-3 by the end of the third quarter. With 7:36 left in the fourth quarter, Romero scored his second goal of the game off a feed from freshman attackman Rob Pannell (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West HS) to give the Big Red a key insurance goal. It was also Pannell's third assist of the contest.

Princeton pulled back within 6-4 with 1:32 left in the contest as senior midfielder Mark Kovler (Washington, DC/Landon School) bounced a shot in from the right side of the cage. However, the Big Red won the ensuing face-off and was able to kill the clock and preserve the win.

After scoring only one goal in the first half, Princeton rallied in the third quarter to make a game of it. The Tigers ended a long scoreless drought with 3:54 left in the third when senior attackman Tyler Davis (Levittown, NY/Division) came around from behind the cage and ripped a 15-yard shot past Cornell goalie Jake Myers (Del Mar, CA/Torrey Pines), cutting the Big Red lead to 5-2.

The goal ended a stretch without a goal of 27:58 for the Tigers, going back to the first quarter. Sophomore attackman Chris McBride (Ridgewood, NJ/Delbarton) then tacked on another goal for the Tigers with 28 seconds left in the third quarter from almost the same spot to bring Princeton within 5-3.

Myers came up with a huge save for Cornell off the opening face-off in the fourth quarter as he stopped a point blank shot from Chris McBride to keep the score 5-3. The Big Red then killed off two penalties in the fourth quarter to prevent the Tigers from getting any closer.

Cornell struck first 1:33 into the game when junior attackman Ryan Hurley (Eagan, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) scored from in front as he came around the right side of the cage and slipped a low shot that deflected off Princeton goalie Tyler Fiorito (Phoenix, MD/McDonogh) and trickled just over the goal line. The Big Red tacked on a second goal at the 11:24 mark as senior midfielder George Calvert (Lawrenceville, NJ/Hotchkiss School) scored from 10 yards out.

Princeton cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:52 left in the first quarter on a goal from sophomore attackman Jack McBride (Madison, NJ/Delbarton), but the Big Red answered with just 11 seconds on the clock, as Romero scored off a feed from Pannell to stretch the lead to 3-1.


Princeton hit the post three times in the first six minutes of the second quarter, including twice by junior attackman Scott Mackenzie (Livingston, MN/Hotchkiss), but could not cut into Cornell's 3-1 lead. The Big Red then scored with 5:27 left in the half, when sophomore midfielder Jonathan Thomson (Orangeville, Ontario/St. Andrew's College) tallied off a feed from Pannell. Cornell tacked on another goal with 2:41 left in the half as senior midfielder John Glynn (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst HS) scored an unassisted tally from 15 yards out, stretching the lead to 5-1.

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2009-05-16