Princeton Lacrosse does not back down when there’s a title on the line.
This Sunday afternoon, Princeton men’s lacrosse (11–4 overall, 4–2 Ivy League) defeated Penn (9–6 overall, 4–2 Ivy League) 18–11 in the Ivy League Tournament Final, claiming back-to-back titles for the program. Princeton last faced Penn on April 20, securing a 15–10 win.
“Coming in, we knew Penn had a great defense and goalie,” junior attacker Coulter Mackesy told The Daily Princetonian. “Our coaches prepared us to take advantage of their weaknesses and set us up for success.”
From the first blow of the whistle, Princeton came out firing. The first goal of the game was netted by sophomore attacker Chad Palumbo, assisted by first-year attacker Nate Kabiri. The Tigers led 1–0. A minute later, first-year attacker Colin Burns scored, putting the Tigers up 2–0. To continue the run, with nine minutes left in the quarter, sophomore midfielder Quinn Krammer scored the next goal, extending the lead to 3–0. Soon after, Penn netted their first goal of the game, making the score 3–1.
With five minutes left in the quarter, senior midfielder Tommy Barnds, with an assist by Kabiri, scored a goal off of the post to put the Tigers up 4–1. To end the first period, though, Penn responded with two goals of their own, and Princeton headed into the second quarter with a narrow lead of 4–3. The Tigers earned back their momentum, when Barnds scored the next two goals of the quarter, assisted by Palumbo and Mackesy, respectively. These efforts put the Tigers up 6–3.
10:58 Q2 │ TOMMY BARNDS WITH THE BOUNCER OOO WEE pic.twitter.com/ScR69RP8SV
— Princeton Men's Lacrosse (@TigerLacrosse) May 5, 2024
Penn responded, scoring less than 30 seconds later, cutting Princeton’s lead to two goals, 6–4.
The next offensive run for the Tigers was a test of resilience. After a shot from Kabiri bounced off the post and Mackesy’s shot was blocked by the Penn defense, a ground ball pickup from Burns kept the opportunity alive. Mackesy netted the goal on the play, putting the Tigers up 7–4. With seven minutes left in the half, the Tigers scored again, courtesy of junior midfielder Sean Cameron. Princeton led 8–4.
Penn did not let Princeton run away, though. For the reminder of the quarter, the Quakers offense surged, scoring three back-to-back goals. The match headed into the break with a narrow Tigers lead of 8–7.
Coming out of halftime, the Tigers stole the momentum. First-year midfielder Tucker Wade scored the first goal of the half for the Tigers, assisted by Mackesy, and the Tigers lead was extended to two. Shortly after, Cameron made the score 10–7 before senior attacker Lukas Stanat got in on the action too, netting a goal to give the Tigers a four goal lead at 11–7.
Penn scored their first goal of the half with 11 minutes left in the quarter, making the score 11–8. Palumbo scored next for the Tigers, followed by a Penn goal shortly after. The scoreboard showed a 12–9 Tiger lead nearly halfway through the quarter. A series of defensive stops from both teams prevented any scoring for nearly five minutes. The ice was broken by the Quakers, cutting the Tigers lead to two at 12–10.
Cameron responded for Princeton, tallying his third goal of the game, making the score 13–10. With less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Penn scored again. The Tigers responded, though, with goals from Wade and Mackesy as the buzzer went off. Heading into the final period of play, the Tigers led 15–11.
:02 Q3 │ CMAC WITH 2 SECONDS LEFT IN THE QUARTER
— Princeton Men's Lacrosse (@TigerLacrosse) May 5, 2024
2 GOALS IN 12 SECONDS TO GO UP 4!! pic.twitter.com/ngNT5OwRK9
Entering the fourth quarter, the dynamic first-year duo put points on the board for the Tigers, with a goal from Burns assisted by Kabiri.
The next seven minutes were defensive, with both sides getting offensive stops. The Princeton defense kept Penn scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, backstopped by senior goalie Michael Gianforcaro’s 11 saves.
With five minutes left in the game, Mackesy netted his 39th goal of the season, putting Princeton up 17–11.
Princeton ended the game with another goal from Burns assisted by Kabiri. Burns was one of four Tigers to have a hat trick in the win, joining Mackesy, Barnds and Cameron. The Tigers emerged victorious, with a final score of 18–11.
“So many guys stepped up today, which shows the depth, talent, and potential this team truly has,” Mackesy told the ‘Prince.’
With the win, Princeton punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are off to play a familiar foe in seventh-seed Maryland (8–5, 3–2 Big Ten) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Tigers last played Maryland in late February, where they fell 13–7 in an early season test.
“[The first round] is where we fell short last year, and that feeling hasn’t left the locker room since.” said Mackesy. “We’re going to enjoy this Ivy League title for a few more hours, then turn the page because our goals are still out there.”
Lily Pampolina is a Sports contributor and contributing Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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