Men’s Lacrosse fall out of Ivy Tournament contention with loss to Harvard

While the men’s lacrosse team put up a good fight, its efforts came up short against Harvard this weekend in Cambridge. Facing a tough opponent, the Tigers managed to keep the game close for most of the match, but the Crimson managed to pull away late in the game. Eventually, Harvard would seal a critical win, 16-12, in front of their home crowd.

The Crimson started the game on an emphatic note, scoring just eight seconds after the game started. Despite Harvard’s fast start, the Tigers managed to keep their poise and continued playing their game. Indeed, the teams would exchange, shot for shot, as Princeton found a response for each goal the Crimson netted.

The Tigers were led by junior attack Gavin McBride, who found the back of the net four times during the game and tied the match at seven goals apiece. However, once again, the Crimson would take a tenuous lead, 8-7. The two teams would then reach a standstill, with neither squad able to beat the goalie for over ten minutes of gameplay.

Unfortunately, it would be the Crimson who found their rhythm and broke the deadlock. Led by Harvard’s Will Walker, who netted six goals, the Crimson would net three goals to end the quarter. They then added two more to their tally to begin the fourth quarter. Suddenly, the Tigers found themselves in a five-point hole.

While the Tigers would rally, scoring five goals in the final eight minutes of the match, it came too late to change the momentum of the game as the Crimson claimed a critical win, in spite of a spirited Princeton performance.

The loss drops the Orange and Black to fifth place in the Ivy League standings at 1-4. However, more importantly, the win helped the Crimson clinch a spot in the Ivy Tournament as one of the top four teams in the Ancient Eight. Indeed, with Princeton’s loss to Harvard this weekend, both the Tigers and Big Red have fallen out of post-season contention. The field is now set with Brown, Yale, Penn and Harvard securing spots in the Ivy League Tournament.

While the Tigers were undoubtedly looking to keep their season alive, they have much to be proud of as they look back on the year. The Princeton squad will still have a chance to end the season with a win when they conclude the year with a match-up against the Big Red, who currently stand tied with the Tigers at fifth place.

Although it will not be the ending they were hoping for, the Tiger’s next match against Cornell should be an exciting one between evenly matched opponents. Indeed, Princeton’s season closer will not be one to miss.