Feature: Top 5 Games of the Fall

In the spirit of reflection, here is a recap of what were arguably the top five sports events from Princeton’s fall-season sports in 2010.

No. 5: Football vs. Lafayette

Princeton faced Lafayette in its home opener this season. The tense match was ultimately decided in double overtime. The game started slowly, with each team primarily exchanging three-and-out possessions through the first quarter. The teams began to find their offensive rhythm in the second quarter, and the game was dominated by offense from that point forward.

Regulation ended in a 27-27 tie, and Princeton began the first overtime period on offense. After a strong Lafayette defensive effort, the Tigers settled for a 39-yard field goal off the foot of junior kicker Pat Jacob. Fortunately, the Tiger defense returned the favor, forcing a Lafayette field goal to tie the game at 30. Lafayette started on offense in the second overtime period and again settled for a field goal.

Back on offense, junior quarterback Tommy Wornham seized the opportunity and dashed down the sideline, picking up 12 yards on the first play. Lafayette was penalized for a late hit on the play, bringing the Tigers within striking distance. Senior running back and co-captain Jordan Culbreath, fresh off an incredible recovery from aplastic anemia, stole the show by pounding through the middle on a 2-yard carry to secure the 36-33 victory for Princeton.

No. 4: Men’s Soccer vs. University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The Tigers fell 2-1 in a controversial match during the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Tigers came into the match with high expectations after finishing 7-0 in the Ivy League, but they simply could not solve the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Retrievers.

Junior striker Antoine Hoppenot found the net 32 minutes into the game with a tricky, bending, unassisted corner kick that beat the keeper and defenders. The controversy began soon afterward with a number of hotly contested calls by the referee, including a throw-in that was waved off for a free kick. The Retrievers capitalized on the kick to tie the score at 1-1.

Injuries for the Tigers also factored in to the unique circumstances of the match: Senior midfielder Josh Walburn and senior defender Benjamin Burton were sidelined with head injuries, sophomore midfielder Lester Nare suffered a serious concussion, and senior midfielder Tim Sedwitz suffered a sprained ankle.

The Retrievers scored their winning goal in the 77th minute, but this goal, too, was fraught with controversy when the Tigers screamed for an offsides call but were ignored by the referee. The Tigers took 11 shots on goal while the Golden Retrievers managed only three, but the final score read 2-1 in favor of UMBC.

No. 3: Men’s Lightweight Crew at the Head of the Charles

The men’s lightweight crew made waves at the annual Head of the Charles regatta in Boston in October. The crew of eight and a coxswain screamed down the Charles River at a base rate of 36 strokes per minute and finished the race in 14 minutes, 9.921 seconds, beating second-place Cornell by a virtually unheard-of margin of 15 seconds. Their time was 12 seconds faster than the course record that has stood since 1997, and conditions were not especially favorable compared to years past.

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Head coach Marty Crotty ’98 attributed the results to the rowers’ hard work over the summer, a good performance by senior coxswain Mike Perl and great determination by the rowers to push themselves for the whole three miles of the race.

No. 2: Field Hockey vs. Maryland

The No. 4 Tigers were undefeated at the time, but the No. 1 Maryland Terrapins they were facing had not lost a regular-season match since Oct. 11, 2008. Moreover, although both teams are perennial powerhouses, the Tigers had not beaten the Terrapins in the last 11 years.

The dynamic duo of junior All-Americans Katie Reinprecht and Kat Sharkey gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead when Sharkey assisted Reinprecht on goals in the 23rd and 26th minutes. The Tigers had the Terrapins, a team not used to playing from behind, in a panic.

Princeton became more conservative, saving energy and forcing the Terrapins to bring their offensive best. Maryland finally found the net for the first time in the 61st minute, but the Tigers answered 20 seconds later to restore their lead to 3-1. Two minutes later, the Terrapins struck again, but sophomore Molly Goodman immediately neutralized the goal with an unassisted strike off the post in the 66th minute.

The Terrapins were silent for the next four minutes as they watched their three-year regular season win streak tick away.

No. 1: Men’s and Women’s Cross Country at Heptagonals

This fall, the Tigers continued their longstanding tradition of success at Heptagonals, the Ivy League championship meet. The men’s and women’s teams both took first place, and junior captains Donn Cabral and Alex Banfich each took first in the men’s and women’s competitions, respectively.

Banfich completed the women’s 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes, 58.9 seconds, just three seconds shy of the fastest time in Heps history. Cabral completed the men’s 5-mile course in 24 minutes, 3.8 seconds, also the second-fastest in Heps history.