"I really believe that when we get the first one we're going to be a tough team," men's lacrosse head coach Bill Tierney said after the team's 10-8 loss to Syracuse on March 26. It took a while — more than just their first win — but the Tigers finally look like a tough team.
Princeton dispatched Butler in dominating fashion by a score of 19-1 Sunday at Class of 1952 Stadium. The team reached Tierney's self-imposed 19-goal limit with 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter when junior midfielder Erik Kudla scored the first goal of the season and fifth of his collegiate career.
Kudla wasn't the only reserve getting in on the action. Every healthy player saw the field on Sunday, and two players — junior midfielder Hakim Thompson and sophomore midfielder Tommy Firth — scored their first career goals. All four goalies also saw playing time, including junior Eric Chase, who got into the game for only the second time since his arrival at Princeton.
Players who have had plenty of experience scoring goals made significant contributions for the Tigers as well.
Senior attackman Jason Doneger tallied four goals and one assist. Combined with his contributions Saturday against Harvard, Doneger scored nine goals and had one assist on the weekend. Coming into the matchup with Harvard, Doneger had just six goals and a single assist on the season.
It was also a benchmark game for Doneger's career. Doneger's third goal of the day, coming with five minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the second quarter, was the 100th goal of his career. Doneger is only the eighth player in Princeton lacrosse history to score more than 100 career goals. The career goal record is held by Jesse Hubbard '98, who scored 163 goals for the Tigers.
Sophomore attackman Peter Trombino added three goals and three assists of his own to bring his season goal total to 16. Doneger is second on the team with 15 goals.
The Tigers' first goal came just over two minutes into the game, when sophomore attackman Whitney Hayes scored after receiving a pass from Trombino. Following that score, though, Princeton was kept off the board for the next 10 minutes, ending with only two goals in the first quarter.
The second quarter saw Doneger and Trombino score a pair of goals just seven seconds apart. It was the shortest time elapsed between goals during Tierney's tenure as coach.
As was the case Saturday against Harvard, it wasn't until the second half that Princeton's offense really got rolling. The Tigers went into halftime with a 7-0 lead but found the net 12 times in the second half to complete the blowout.
The Tigers wasted no time in the second half. Their first goal came just 13 seconds into the half when freshman midfielder Zach Goldberg scored off an assist from Doneger. Butler watched the game get out of hand in the third quarter when Princeton tallied eight goals.
The third quarter was also when Butler scored its lone goal of the game, an unassisted score from midfielder Pat Hurto.
Princeton scored four goals in the final quarter to bring the final score to 19-1.
The Tigers outscored their opponents, 31-5, on the weekend, after having scored not more than nine goals in any of its previous games.
The Tigers dominated all aspects of the game against the Bulldogs. Princeton won 18 of 24 face-offs, far above their 0.483 average on the season. The Tigers also outshot Butler, 64-12. The shot total was Princeton's highest of the season, 21 more than its previous high of 43 that came the day before against Harvard.
The Tigers have been looking for a weekend like this all year to jumpstart their season. Following their early season struggles, a lack of confidence began to hold the team back. Princeton hopes that its strong weekend can be the boost to get its season heading in the right direction.
The Tigers don't have much time to spare either, as they face Cornell next weekend. The Big Red is 4-0 in Ivy League play and is ranked No. 8 in the country. Princeton still has a chance to win the Ivy League championship and thus gain a spot in the NCAA tournament, but the team must win all its remaining games to do so. That is not an easy task as its other two opponents — Dartmouth and Brown — are ranked No. 11 and No. 19, respectively.
Read More
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.