ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, May 28, 1996 TAG: 9605280146
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
PRINCETON nips the Cavaliers 13-12 for the NCAA lacrosse title, as UVa drops to 0-4 in overtime championships.
Another championship game, another overtime loss. In men's lacrosse, that's Virginia's life story.
The Cavaliers' fourth appearance in the championship game resulted in their fourth overtime loss Monday as Princeton captured its third title of the 1990s, 13-12.
It was almost eerie the way the Tigers won the overtime faceoff and scored on their first shot, a bouncer by one-time Virginia recruiting target Jesse Hubbard with only 34 seconds elapsed.
Virtually the same thing happened in the 1994 championship game, when Princeton defeated UVa 9-8 on a shot by Kevin Lowe after only one minute, 42 seconds of sudden death. The Tigers beat Syracuse in double overtime, 10-9, for the 1992 title.
``I've just got to find a different line of work,'' said Princeton coach Bill Tierney, whose Tigers won 13 straight games after an early loss to Virginia. ``This overtime stuff is really getting out of hand. I hope it never evens up.''
Virginia is 5-4 in overtime in the NCAA Tournament, 5-0 in the first three rounds and 0-4 in the final. The Cavaliers' last championship was in 1972 at Byrd Stadium, site of Monday's game.
``I know all about that stuff,'' said UVa coach Dom Starsia, referring to the championship drought and overtime losses, ``but, I don't think it was some four-leaf clover that made the difference out there today.''
More than anything, the difference was faceoffs and goalkeeping, as it has been in Virginia's three consecutive trips to the final four. Chris Sanderson, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, stopped only nine of 22 shots on goal Monday.
When Princeton starter Patrick Cairns struggled, the Tigers' went to a proven back-up, Pancho Gutstein. However, UVa has had few options since benched 1995 starter Court Durling quit the team in March.
Gutstein, a 6-foot-3 senior, had come off the bench Saturday and shut down Syracuse in Princeton's 11-9 victory in the semifinals. He entered the game Monday with 12:25 remaining in the third quarter and the score 7-7.
``He gave them a spark,'' said UVa midfielder David Curry, stopped by Gutstein with 2:18 left in the regulation. ``He definitely made some big saves. A lot of those shots go [against Cairns].''
Princeton had an overwhelming advantage in time of possessions, thanks in large part to the faceoff supremacy of James Mitchell. Officially, the faceoff differential was 19-9, but some press-box observers had it 21-7.
UVa sophomore David Wren was 4-10 on faceoffs, although he had won three in a row before Mitchell outdueled him to start the overtime. The Tigers quickly called timeout, just as they did in 1994.
``You control the ball, you control the game,'' said Virginia defenseman Tommy Smith. ``You've got to have the faceoffs. In overtime, if you don't win the faceoff, you might as well forget it.''
The Cavaliers trailed 3-0 to start the game, then came back to lead on three separate occasions before falling behind 12-9 in the fourth quarter. Curry's goal, the Cavaliers' third in less than 3 1/2 minutes, made it 12-12 with 5:09 left.
Hubbard's game-winning goal, his third of the game and 53rd of the season, tied him for team honors with unheralded midfielder Don McDonough, who had seven goals for the season before his hat trick Monday.
The Tigers (14-1) seemingly handled the rain-slickened conditions better than Virginia, which saw defenders fall on three Princeton goals. The attendance of 22,602 was down from last year's 26,229, when host Maryland played in the final.
Virginia (12-4) got a game-high five goals from Michael Watson, who was named most valuable player. Curry had three goals and two assists and joined teammates Smith, Watson and Tim Whiteley on the all-tournament team.
``It's up there with one of the worst feelings I've ever felt,'' Watson said. ``It's just devastating. Who know if we'll be back? I don't think we possibly could have come in here with any more resolve than we had today. We knew this was it.''
Or, was it? The Cavaliers used only two players who are in their final year of eligibility and return three first-team All-Americans in Smith, Watson and Division I scoring leader Doug Knight.
``We've been trying to get it done for three years now,'' Smith said. ``All we can do is keep plugging and playing, but we'll be back in the final four next year. I guarantee that.''
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP James Mitchell (top) of Princeton flattens Dougby CNBKnight of Virginia during the NCAA men's lacrosse championship game
Monday. The Tigers won 13-12 in overtime. color<