PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The No. 11 Yale University men’s lacrosse team won its third Ivy League Tournament championship in four years 11-10 over No. 15 Princeton.
The Bulldogs (10-4), who also defeated Princeton in the 2012 and 2013 Ivy title games, were led by Conrad Oberbeck (Greenwich, Conn.). The Ivy Tournament Most Outstanding Player totaled five points, two goals and three assists.
Ben Reeves (Macedon, N.Y.), who broke the program record for freshmen scoring, and Eric Scott (Basking Ridge, N.J.) added two goals.
Princeton (9-6), the 2010 Ivy Tournament champions, was led with four second-half goals by Kip Orban (Westport, Conn.). Michael MacDonald (Georgetown, Ont.), the Ivy League Co-Player of the Year, was held to one-goal by the Bulldogs. Gavin McBride (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) and Ryan Ambler (Rydal, Pa.) had three points each for the Tigers.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs held a 2-0 lead after the first quarter. It was the eleventh “clean quarter” of the season for the Yale defense, led by: Christopher Keating (Windham, N.H.), Alirio DeMeireles (Oyster Bay Cove, N.Y.), Camyar Matini (Bethesda, Md.), Michael Quinn (Port Washington, N.Y.).
After killing a minute penalty, the Bulldogs scored on their first settled possession of the game when Scott the Brine home 5:33 in.
Reeves added to the Yale lead with 1:52 left in the period. The goal gave the Ivy League Rookie of the Year the program record for freshmen scoring.
Both top 15 teams scored twice in the second period.
The Tigers got on the board 1:53 into the quarter when McBride sent an Orban feed into the net.
Michael Keasey (Newport Beach, Calif.) got the lead back to a pair, putting an Oberbeck pass behind Blaisdell at the 4:25 mark.
Oberbeck, a Tewaaraton Award nominee, then assisted on an EMO strike by Sean Shakespeare (Walpole, Mass.) less than three minutes later.
Zach Currier (Petersborough, Ont.) and MacDonald played the two-man game for a goal at the 12:03 mark.
At the half, the Elis were up 4-2 and face-off men Jonathan Reese (West Islip, N.Y.) and Conor Mackie (Glen Rock, N.J.) went six of eight in the X.
The Tigers, 12th in scoring offense entering the game, reeled off five goals in the third to knot the game at seven entering the fourth.
Orban, the first Princeton midfielder to score over 40 goals in a season, opened the post-intermission scoring 2:19 in.
After keeping possession alive with a hard-fought ground ball win, Shakespeare sidearmed one past Princeton goalie Tyler Blaisdell (Hanover, Mass.) with 9:27 left in the third.
Orban responded with a change-up goal 46 seconds later.
The Tigers deadlocked the 100th meeting between the two schools with 6:44 remaining in the quarter. Sean Connors (Manhasset, N.Y.) put a McBride toss past Yale goalie Eric Natale (Westminster, Md.).
Orban, an unanimous first team All-Ivy selection, completed the hat trick man-up at the 10:40 mark
Oberbeck broke the Princeton run with 1:03 left in the frame.
Off the ensuing face-off, Sam Gravitte (Ridgefield, Conn.) ran down and gave the Tigers its second lead of the afternoon.
With time winding down in the quarter, Oberbeck capitalized off a Princeton turnover to re-tie the game.
Orban opened the final period scoring sending home an Ambler feed 1:27 in.
Scott fired in his second of the afternoon to tie the contest at eight with 12:05 to go.
Yale retook the lead 2:25 later when Jeff Cimbalista (New Hope, Pa.) put a Shakespeare dish into the net.
McBride, camped out to the side of the crease, finished the Tigers’ EMO with 8:52 left. Ambler had the helper.
Colin Flaherty (Eastport, N.Y.) put the Elis back on top at the 8:52 mark. Oberbeck had his third assist of the day.
Reeves gave Yale a two-goal lead with 4:27 remaining. Keasey assisted on the man-up goal.
MacDonald, the single-season scoring leader in Tigers’ history, made it a one-goal game with 27.2 to go.
Natale made 10 saves in the contest. The senior passed Jason Reese ’87 to move into sixth place on the career saves list. Tony Guido ’90 is fifth with 439 saves.
Blaisdell stopped six Yale shots.
Quinn, Reeves, Oberbeck and Natale were named to the All-Ivy Tournament team.
The Bulldogs will learn their NCAA Tournament opponent later tonight.
