A storybook career nearing its close

B.J. Prager had the whole world in the palm of his hand going into his sophomore season on the Princeton men's lacrosse team.

The current senior captain had just come off setting a Tigers' freshman record with 25 goals, and was also the first Princeton freshman to be named first team all-Ivy since Scott Bacigalupo in 1994.

Prager blitzed out of the gates during his sophomore season, scoring 23 goals and dishing 3 assists in the first eight games alone.

But then it happened.

As if the stars were aligned to trip up the Tigers on that fateful day against Cornell, Prager fell to the ground with a season-ending ACL tear just seven minutes after starting midfielder Brian Lieberman also went down with a broken collarbone.

Prager knew immediately that this would end his season -- he would undergo surgery in July of that year.

"Certainly he was optimistic physically. His doctor was a family friend and he had had a knee injury before," Princeton coach Bill Tierny said of Prager's rehabilitation.

"But psychologically he was devastated. He started off unbelievable that year -- to all of a sudden be out of it really broke his heart."

Despite the injury, Prager garnered first team All-Ivy and third team All-America honors for his eight games in which he played.

"The fact that he still made All American and first team all-Ivy when he was injured is pretty amazing," Tierney said. "His impact during the season was obviously felt by us, and clearly by other coaches, as well."

Flash forward one year, and Prager would get his chance to truly prove his All-American status -- and this time for a full season. The junior attacker led the team in goals with 36, scoring at least once in 14 of the Tigers' 15 games.

In Princeton's final game of the regular season, Prager showed more than ever that he had recovered, unleashing his wrath in the form of eight goals against Hobart.

"I'm an emotional player and it started rolling," Prager said. "But I remember that I missed one shot, and I'm mad at that. I would've like to have made it."

Prager can remember a particular goal that he missed so clearly, because he only missed two shots over the course of the entire game.

"He was 8 for 10 -- that's just ridiculous shooting," Tierney said. "When you have a guy get in a groove like that, you just want to go back to him. And he could've scored more, but we had to take him out."

But the postseason was where Prager had been waiting to shine for a full year. After being forced out of action because of the ACL injury, the junior would shine brightest under lacrosse's most important lights -- the national championship game.

"He's always thrived under pressure," B.J.'s father, Bill Prager said. "From little league lacrosse, through to lacrosse and soccer in high school, and now at Princeton, he's always liked the big games."

Prager not only scored a game high four goals during the game on the way to grabbing the most outstanding player award for the national tournament, but more importantly, he notched the game-winning goal in the final game. Just 3:13 into the overtime period, Ryan Boyle fed Prager a bullet pass directly in front of the goal for the 10-9 victory.

The win also snapped a four game losing streak against the Orangemen.

"It was an unbelievable feeling," Prager said. "I was elated. I would've been happy if anyone scored, but the fact that it was me was awesome."

Exactly one year to the day after having to watch helplessly on the sideline as his team lost to Syracuse, Prager responded from his year of frustration with a national championship-winning goal.

"I couldn't be happier for a kid who had such impact on us in a program," Tierney said. "To have the wherewithal to come back and live a goal is incredible."

Evidently storybook endings happen in real life, also.

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