Princeton junior attacker B.J. Prager wasn't about to watch his team lose to archrival Syracuse in the men's lacrosse national championship game for the second straight year.
Not after observing -- from the bench with a torn ACL -- a 13-7 pummeling of the Tigers courtesy of the Orangemen in last season's big game.
Not after tallying a hat trick in regulation in this year's game, including one that put the Tigers up 9-8 with 6:13 left on the clock.
So with the game locked up at nine, Prager once again took matters into his own hands.
The junior out of Garden City, N.Y., found the back of the net just 3:19 into overtime to give Princeton (14-1) a 10-9 victory over Syracuse (13-3) at Rutgers Stadium last Monday.
Prager was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, notching seven goals in two Final Four matches.
The win gives the Tigers six NCAA men's lacrosse titles in the last 10 years. Either Princeton or Syracuse has won the national championship 12 of the last 14 years.
Princeton jumped out to a four-goal lead to start the game, and managed to prevent Syracuse from getting much closer -- until the final stanza.
The Orangemen notched four goals -- as many as they had scored in the first three quarters combined -- in the opening 7:20 of the fourth quarter to even the score at eight.
Each team netted one more goal before the game was sent into overtime, in which Prager scored off a cross-center pass from freshman attacker Ryan Boyle to end the game.
Penn played both Princeton and Syracuse during its regular season, but was unable to find much success in either contest against these perennial national powerhouses.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.