Men’s lacrosse (3-1) suffered its first loss of this young season this past weekend. The No. 10 Maryland Terps (4-1) quelled a hot No. 9 Princeton offense — the Tigers had scored at least 14 goals in all three previous games — by a score of 11-4. An 8-1 second half Maryland run highlighted the host’s victory, while a season-low mark of four goals scored, all unassisted, made Princeton’s loss particularly harsh.
With the loss, Princeton falls further in the series record to 28-7-1, with the last regular season meeting held in 1977. Between that old school contest and Saturday, the Tigers established a 5-1 advantage all with playoff wins.
Very little separated the two teams after a half. The return of junior midfielder Jake Froccaro was a pleasant surprise for Princeton fans. The Long Island native was joined by sophomore midfielder Gavin McBride on the first half scoring sheet.
The few things that ended up separating the teams turned out to be crucial.
First: an unassisted goal, tallied with just under 90 seconds remaining in the half, by Maryland sophomore Matt Rambo may well have deflated Princeton’s morale heading into intermission. The standout attackman finished the contest with a game-high three goals, including the opening score. Second: Princeton’s offense had not capitalized on 13 of their 15 first-half shots, largely stifled by Terp goalkeeper Kyle Bernlohr, who had seven saves. In the second half, Maryland made sure that the visitors would lack the requisite chances. A goal by sophomore attackman Bear Altemus drew the Tigers within one goal early in the third quarter. That would be the last productive offensive opportunity for Princeton. Maryland held possession for 9:17 of the third quarter’s 15 minutes, scoring five consecutive goals and establishing a 9-3 lead heading into the final period. What’s more, the Terps fired off 14 third-quarter shots (10 on target) to the Tigers’ eight (three on target).
Princeton’s senior duo of midfielder/captain Kip Orban and attackman Mike MacDonald, who had constituted the heart of the Tiger offense prior, were blanked by the top-ranked Maryland defense. Orban snapped a consecutive goal-scoring streak of 29 games. Both seniors concluded their 31-game scoring streaks.
Otherwise worthy of note, sophomore long stick midfielder Sam Gravitte scored his first goal of his career and the first long-pole finish of Princeton’s season.
This Saturday, the unstoppable force won out in the classic matchup against the immovable object. Despite the loss of a number of key contributors, this Maryland side has reloaded and looks poised for another deep tournament run.
The Tigers should share that aspiration. But there’s a way to go with this young but doubtlessly talented side. Princeton continues their four-game road series at Ivy League rival No. 20 Penn. A disappointed Orange and Black squad was on the outside looking in last season, following a fifth-placed conference finish in 2014. Should the Tigers want to return to the four-team postseason tournament, they will need to bring their very best against their six Ancient Eight opponents.
The contest will be broadcast next Saturday at 1 p.m. for subscribers to the Ivy League Digital Network.
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