Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 31, 1994 TAG: 9405310108
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: Medium
Lowe broke the heart of UVa coach Dom Starsia for a second time Monday when he scored after 1 minute, 42 seconds of overtime to lift Princeton to a 9-8 victory at Byrd Stadium.
"The last two games I couldn't have shot the ball any worse," said Lowe, whose brother, Darren, was an All-American for Starsia at Brown. "I guess everything evened out in the end."
It was the second NCAA championship in three years for defense-minded Princeton, which led 8-6 before UVa scored twice in the final 5:33 of regulation, with freshman Doug Knight getting the tying goal with 1:20 left.
Knight also scored the goal that forced overtime in Virginia's 15-14 victory over Syracuse in the semifinals, but that's where the similarities ended. The Cavaliers never touched the ball in overtime Monday.
UVa was unable to strip the ball from Syracuse midfielder Jeff MacBean on a double team, and he fed Lowe, left uncovered before bouncing a one-hopper past goalie James Ireland from 8 yards.
"We have to take a chance in that situation," Starsia said. "If we let [MacBean] walk in on our short-stick [defender], I'd be a lot more upset than I am."
Virginia, which won the NCAA championship here in 1972, was making its third appearance in the final since 1980 and was an overtime loser for the third straight time.
"To lose in overtime that quickly is really disappointing," said UVa freshman Michael Watson, who had three goals for the second game in a row. "It weighs heavy on us emotionally."
A crowd of 24,730 - a record for a men's lacrosse final - saw Virginia take early leads of 1-0 and 3-2, but the Cavaliers had the advantage for just over two minutes all day.
UVa's best opportunity came when it won the faceoff after Knight's goal that made it 8-8, but the Cavaliers lost possession for stepping out of the restraining area.
Virginia had been called for the same violation at virtually the same point in the Syracuse game. The rule comes into effect only in the last two minutes of the game and applies only for the team that is leading or if the score is tied.
"We had used up our timeouts," Starsia said. "Timmy [Whiteley] was the closest player to our bench. He was literally 15 yards away from me and, with me screaming at the top of my lungs, he couldn't hear me."
Princeton, coached by Bill Tierney, had defeated Virginia 14-6 in Charlottesville, Va., on the second Saturday in March, but the Cavaliers already had avenged one eight-goal loss by beating North Carolina 12-10 in the semifinals.
UVa, bidding to join Carolina's 1986 team as the only No. 5 seed to win the title, got the inspired performance it needed from goalie James Ireland, who was credited with 15 saves.
"I think we would've beaten them by four or five goals if it wasn't for Ireland," said Princeton goalie Scott Bacigalupo, a two-time All-American. "I think maybe he was trying to redeem himself for the first game."
Bacigalupo, who had 14 saves, repeated his selection as most valuable player in 1992. He was joined by teammates Lowe, Scott Conklin and Scott Reinhardt on the all-tournament team.
Lowe's winning goal was his only goal of the final four, although he led the Tigers in scoring during the season. He came close to signing with Brown while Starsia was there and also considered Virginia.
Conklin had four goals and Reinhardt added three for the Tigers (14-1). Knight, who entered the game to stay when starting attackman Sean Miller was injured in the second quarter, joined Watson as the only players to score more than once for UVa (13-4).
Whiteley contributed four assists and moved into second place on UVa's single-season points list with 71. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Watson, Ireland and Matt Crisp.
The Tigers became the first program to win men's and women's lacrosse championships in the same year. Virginia lost to Princeton in the women's semifinals, also in overtime and on the same field. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB