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Men’s lacrosse pursues final push against rival Harvard

Men’s lacrosse (4-7 overall, 1-3 Ivy League) will travel to Cambridge on Saturday to take on the Harvard Crimson (6-6, 2-2) in the penultimate game of the season. Both teams have muddled through mixed results this season, with Harvard holding onto No. 4 and Princeton No. 5 in the Ivy League. Saturday’s game will give both teams a chance for a final push.

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For the first time in four weeks, the Tigers will compete away from the comforts of home Sherrerd Field at the Class of 1952 Stadium. For the majority of April, Princeton launched a successful home campaign against Stony Brook University, Lehigh University and Dartmouth. The Orange and Black won two of the three games, outscoring their opponents 30-22, cumulatively.

Harvard, on the other hand, has had a roller coaster season. The Crimson soared to a 4-0 season start, including three overtime victories and an incredible 14-9 upset over No. 4 Duke University. Since then, luck has reversed for Harvard. The Crimson fell into the depths of a four-game losing streak through March.

Overall, tight games have plagued the Crimson. In fact, Harvard’s games have finished with an average margin of 2.5 goals. Most recently, the Crimson fell in a close 13-14 battle against higher-ranked Penn.

Speaking of tight games, the two previous meetings between these two teams have both ended with one-goal margins. Last year, Princeton defeated Harvard 14-13, stifling a last minute Crimson comeback. Saturday’s game will force the Tigers to defend last year’s victory.

However, any comparison to last year must be taken lightly, as Princeton will not have the luxury of playing All-Ivy selectees Mike MacDonald ’15 and Kip Orban ’15 , who, combined, scored five of Princeton’s 14 goals. Instead, the Tigers will bring as starters senior attackman Ryan Ambler, sophomore goalie Tyler Blaisdell, junior attackman Sean Connors, junior attackman Gavin McBride and junior defenseman Bear Goldstein.

On the other side of the field, the Crimson will be led by senior attackman Devin Dwyer and sophomore attackman Morgan Cheek. Dwyer currently ranks second in the Ivy League with an average of 4.92 points per game. Cheek follows behind Dwyer at No. 5. Looking more closely at Cheek, the sophomore earned three goals against Princeton the last time the two teams faced each other.

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A win for the Tigers would give Princeton a final boost of confidence to close out the season. Princeton has already won two consecutive games; an additional victory would not only extend the streak to the longest of the season but also advance the Tigers to No. 4 in the Ivy League.

Furthermore, a victory over Harvard would allow the Tigers to come home and host Cornell with full momentum to close out the season. It would show Princeton’s ability to still compete despite losing a head coach and two super stars in Orban and MacDonald. All in all, Saturday puts the Tigers’ rivalry and resilience on the line.

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