In a weekend that was sure to test the strength of the Princeton men’s lacrosse team (3–2 overall, 0–0 Ivy League), the Tigers traveled south to face the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (2–2, 0–0 ACC) and the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (5–1, 0–0 ACC). Princeton emerged victorious in a statement 15–9 win against North Carolina but fell to the Blue Devils 17–8 on Sunday.
Mackesy and standout first-years carry Tigers to win over UNC
Coming off of a tough road loss to No. 7 Maryland (4–0 overall, 0–0 Big Ten), the Tigers were hungry for a win in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
“After that loss, we knew we had to improve in every aspect of the game,” senior attacker Coulter Mackesy told The Daily Princetonian. “We had a hard week of practice to prepare for two more hard opponents.”
The action started quickly with first-year attacker Colin Burns scoring an unassisted goal on the Tigers’ first possession of the game. Burns has scored 10 goals in four games for Princeton and has added five assists.
The Tar Heels responded less than a minute later with a goal from attacker Logan McGovern to tie the game at 1–1. McGovern played his four undergraduate years at Bryant University and became a Tar Heel as a graduate transfer in 2023. In his first season at North Carolina, McGovern started each of their 14 games and led the team with 34 goals.
The back-and-forth scoring continued throughout the first quarter. The Tigers next goal, however, saw Mackesy rip a half-field shot into the net off a pass from senior goalie Michael Gianforcaro to give the Tigers the lead. The goal landed them a spot on ESPN Sportscenter’s top 10 plays.
Although Mackesy scored back-to-back goals to put the Tigers up 3–1, North Carolina attacker Owen Duffy answered with three goals of his own. By the end of the first period of play, the Tar Heels led 4–3.
From here, however, the Tigers took control of the game. Junior attacker Braedon Saris assisted Mackesy and first-year attacker Nate Kabiri on two goals in the beginning of the second quarter, putting the Tigers back on top. A minute later, junior midfielder Billy Barnds added a goal, making the score 6–4.
“The run in the second quarter all started with some huge defensive plays all over the field and great stops from Mike [Gianforcaro],” Mackesy told the ‘Prince.’ Gianforcaro had 12 saves against the Tar Heels.
Duffy added his fourth goal of the game for North Carolina to interrupt Princeton’s 3–0 scoring streak. From there, a seven-minute scoring drought forced the Tigers to level up on defense.
Kabiri scored with three minutes left in the half. Assisted by sophomore midfielder Quinn Krammer and sophomore attacker Chad Palumbo, Kabiri netted two goals to put the Tigers up 8–5.
The Tigers were not finished. On the face-off following Kabiri’s goal, sophomore face-off specialist Andrew McMeekin won the draw and assisted Mackesy for the final goal of the second quarter. Princeton headed into halftime with a 9–5 lead.
“Defense had big stops and we were able to convert on offense.” Kabiri told the ‘Prince.’
Kabiri opened the second half with his fourth goal of the game, assisted by sophomore midfielder John Dunphey. The Tar Heels were not going down easy and followed Princeton’s goal with a 3–1 run, making the score 11–8 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Two unassisted goals by Krammer and junior defenseman Colin Mulshine reinforced the Tigers’ lead by the end of the third. Mulshine’s goal is the first of his collegiate career and a rare sight for any long pole defenseman.
“Mulshine’s coast-to-coast goal might have been the biggest juice goal in program history,” Mackesy said.
The Tigers did not look back entering the final period of play, leading 13–8. Burns scored two more goals, both assisted by Mackesy to put the Tigers up 15–8. The Tar Heels scored a consolation goal in the last seconds of the game, ending with a final score of 15–9.
Tigers struggle to stop prolific Duke offense, losing 17–8
On Sunday, Princeton continued their trek through North Carolina with a stop in Durham to play the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils.
Facing an uphill battle against a favorite to win the national title, the Tigers jumped out to a quick 2–0 advantage Sunday afternoon. The two goals came off the sticks of Chad Palumbo and junior midfielder Sean Cameron. The goals were Palumbo’s sixth and Cameron’s second of the season, respectively.
After the quick start, the Blue Devils took over the flow of the game. The Blue Devils, who have averaged 20.75 goals in their first four games of the season, quickly showed why they are the nation’s best. Scoring six consecutive goals and swarming Princeton in all facets of the game, Duke carried a 6–2 lead into the second quarter.
The scoring run continued in the second quarter, as Duke racked up five more goals in the frame. Princeton only was able to manage one goal in the quarter, courtesy of Colin Burns’ 11th goal of the season. Heading into half, the Tigers trailed by a hefty 11–3 margin.
The second half was still dominated by Duke, but the Tigers certainly tightened their defensive systems. Goals in the second half for Princeton were scored by Mackesy, Burns, and senior midfielder Tommy Barnds. Duke, meanwhile, managed five goals in the second half, and did more than enough to hold off Princeton on Sunday, winning 17–8.
Next, the Tigers will look to another away matchup versus a ranked opponent, as they travel to No. 16 Rutgers (8–6, 0–0 Big Ten) on March 10 at 12 p.m.
Lily Pampolina is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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