Men's lacrosse tops Harvard, clinches share of Ivy League title

Orange and Black fans at the Class of 1952 Stadium had plenty to smile about Friday night, as No. 19/20 men’s lacrosse (8-4 overall, 4-1 Ivy League) downed conference rival Harvard (6-7, 1-4) by a score of 12-11. Princeton amassed a 12-7 advantage through three periods that even Harvard’s 4-0 final quarter run could not assail. After the win, the Tigers stand alone at the top of the Ivy League table with only an away tilt against Cornell remaining on the schedule.

Princeton extended their all-time advantage over the Crimson to 58-22-1. During head coach Chris Bates’ tenure, the teams have split their six matchups 3-3.

There was a sense of desperation among the visitors during the tilt, and an added sense of satisfaction for the home team following. Thanks to the loss, Harvard has been eliminated from Ivy League postseason contention, much like initial “r” has been eliminated from the pronunciation of the school’s name in a Boston dialect.

A pattern of strong starts did not fail the Tigers, who scored the game’s first three goals and have outscored opponents 40-26 in first quarters this season.

The scorer of the second goal from that opening salvo, senior attackman Mike MacDonald, a contender for Ivy League Player of the Year, became the first ever Princeton player to record at least 40 goals and 20 assists in a single season. His season totals of 40 and 26 puts him second in the conference point tally and fourth among all Division I players. MacDonald’s linemate, junior attackman Ryan Ambler, led all players with four goals.

Scoring the team's third, sixth and ninth goals, senior captain and midfielder Kip Orban now stands tied with Josh Sims ’00 for most goals scored by a Princeton midfielder in a single season (36).

Converting a league-high 35.7 percent of their shots (good for fourth nationally), the Tigers’ offense has been remarkably efficient. And necessarily so, considering the lack of success experienced on faceoffs. Opponents have won possession at a rate of 55 percent.

When Princeton’s starting specialist, freshman Sam Bonafede, struggled against Harvard’s Austin Williams, sophomore midfielder Zach Currier gave his side life from the draw. In addition to his six wins off 10 attempts, he collected a game-high seven ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers.

Currier was not the only standout underclassman in the win. Freshman goalkeeper Tyler Blaisdell set a personal-best save mark that will be difficult to beat. He rejected 15 Harvard shots in the third win of his young career.

Since Blaisdell replaced senior Eric Sanschagrin, Princeton’s back line has consisted exclusively of underclassmen. Despite their youth, they have shut down some of the nation’s strongest attackmen in recent weeks. Harvard’s Devin Dwyer, an all-Ivy first-teamer from 2014, managed just a single goal on four shots.

Cornell, the nearly unanimous preseason favorite to repeat as regular season champions, suffered a shocking loss Saturday, dropping the Big Red into a three-way tie for second place. Accordingly, at least a share of the regular season title will come for the Princeton men. What remains to be seen is whether the postseason tournament will be held in New Jersey or New York.