Despite the strong effort from No. 11 Princeton men’s lacrosse (2–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) this Saturday, they were unable to take down the notorious lacrosse powerhouse, the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins (4–0, 0–0 Big 10). The Tigers fell in College Park, 13–7.
The Tigers’ biggest struggle during the game was ball control. The Terps were able to quickly set the tone for the game, pushing plays up the field and putting pressure on the Tiger defense. Maryland sent three goals to the back of the net within the first eight minutes of the game, leaping out to a quick 3–0 lead.
After finally settling into the game, the Tigers began clawing their way back. The defense did not allow any more action from the Terps in the quarter, shutting them out for the last five and a half minutes. The backfield was led by senior goalie Michael Gianforcaro, who had a career-high 20 saves against the Terps. The Tigers were beaten 33–17 for shots on goal, putting Gianforcaro and the defense in a very tough position.
Last season, the Tigers saw Maryland at home for their third game. And similar to Saturday's game, Maryland was able to take down the Tigers 11–5, having more offensive opportunities and shots on goal last year.
What the Tigers did not have last season, however, was first-year attacker Nate Kabiri. Kabiri was the first to put the Tigers on the board in College Park, scoring the first Princeton goal with two minutes left in the first quarter.
Kabiri’s first-quarter goal was the first of four for the first-year, making him the only first-year in Princeton history to score three or more goals in their first three career games. Kabiri currently leads the team with ten goals so far this season.
But Maryland did not have much trouble extending their lead going into the second quarter. The pattern of Maryland’s quick three goals to Princeton’s one repeated itself, within the first three minutes. Once again, Kabiri was there to answer, as he added a tally for the Tigers, driving through the Terps defense after an assist from senior midfielder Tommy Barnds.
Maryland, controlling the ball for the majority of playing time and winning 21 of the 24 face-offs, capitalized on two more chances that extended their lead through the second quarter. With less than a second left in the half, junior midfielder Sean Cameron received the ball all alone on the left wing and sent an impressive bullet through the Maryland defense, making the score 8–3 at the half.
Princeton was chasing for the rest of the game but came out aggressively to try and close the sizable Maryland lead. Junior attacker Coulter Mackesy scored the first goal of the third quarter, just two minutes in.
Princeton began to gain momentum when the Tigers’ defense began to play more aggressively, attempting to contain the Terps and causing turnovers. Eventually, Maryland found a way through and nailed another in, but two minutes later Princeton responded.
The Tigers capitalized on their only extra man playing time from a penalty, and junior attacker Braedon Saris sent one in for the Tigers, closing the gap to four goals. But with only five seconds left in the quarter, Maryland converted once again to make the score 10–5 going into the last quarter.
Kabiri came back strong once again for the Tigers in the final quarter, scoring his third goal of the game only four minutes into the quarter. Both teams were putting as much pressure as they could on their opponent, with Princeton trying to catch up and Maryland holding the lead. The Terps answered Kabiri and with nine minutes left were able to sneak one in for their 11th goal.
Kabiri and another first-year Colin Burns, Princeton’s second-leading scorer, both had goals that were disallowed for crease violations. However, the Tigers did not let up and Kabiri found another opportunity when sophomore attacker Chad Palumbo assisted him for the last Princeton goal of the game. The Terps closed out the game with two more, ending the game with a final score of 13–7.
The Tigers now look toward a road trip south to face off against No. 15 ranked University of North Carolina (2–1 overall, 0–0 ACC) on Friday, March 1 and No. 2 Duke (4–0, 0–0) on Saturday, March 2.
Evelyn Walsh is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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