On a sunny Saturday in Connecticut, No. 13 men’s lacrosse (9–4 overall, 4–2 Ivy League) toppled the No. 9 Yale Bulldogs (11–3 overall, 4–2 Ivy League) 15–8, sending themselves through to the Ivy League tournament.
The Tigers outpaced the Bulldogs in what was the 110th meeting all-time between the two historic programs, a rivalry dating back to the 1880s. This year’s matchup pitted the Ivy League’s best offense in the Bulldogs against the staunch Tiger defense, top in the Ivy as well.
Emotions were high leading into the game as the Tigers were coming off a season-changing win at home against the Penn Quakers (8–5 overall, 4–2 Ivy League) that kept the Tigers’ postseason aspirations alive. Star junior attacker Coulter Mackesy netted five goals in the game, proving to be a headache for the Bulldogs once again — he has totaled 15 goals in his last three games against Yale.
Even for a game of such huge implications, the Tigers stayed true to their roots.
“Not much changes in our preparation and mindset leading up to this game,” Mackesy told the Daily Princetonian.
Early saves from senior goalie Michael Gianforcaro, the reigning National Defensive Player of the Week, kept the scoreboard clean for the first five minutes. Then, sophomore midfielder John Dunphey dodged to the left and rang the crossbar to break the 0–0 tie — and the Tigers never looked back.
The Bulldogs barked back when midfielder Carson Kuhl managed to beat the Tiger defense and find an open shot from close to the crease. The two teams traded goals to arrive at a 2–2 deadlock with under three minutes left in the first quarter, with sophomore midfielder Chad Palumbo contributing greatly for the Tigers.
The Tigers number-one ranked first-year recruiting class showed their teeth when first-year midfielder Tucker Wade received a pass from first-year attack Nate Kabiri in a two-man screen action before firing into the left side of the net. The Tigers never relinquished their lead after going up 3–2 on the board.
The second quarter proved to be the turning point of the matchup. The Tigers led 4–3 with ten minutes left in the quarter before the floodgates were let loose.
A faceoff win by sophomore FOGO (face-off get off) Andrew McMeekin — who won 20 of 26 faceoffs over the game — gave the Tigers an offensive possession. Junior midfielder Sean Cameron took advantage of the opportunity, pulling off a nasty juke to free himself of his defender and find the back of the net.
In the next five minutes of gameplay, the Tigers stretched their lead up to five, with every part of the team contributing to the team’s total, including senior long-stick defender Pace Billings’ third on the season. Before the Bulldogs could blink, the score was 8–3.
A last-second goal by Palumbo off an assist by Wade gave the Tigers a 9–4 lead heading into halftime. The home team Bulldogs had been ranked number one in RPI, a statistical ranking system, but hit the locker room stunned after the first 30 minutes.
A large part of Princeton’s first half success was due to McMeekin’s faceoff abilities, winning 11 of 14. He attributes the face-off performance to preparation. “Our face-off coach Casey Dowd has done a great job getting our wings prepared as well for three-on-three battle where some more strategy comes into play, so credit to him there,” he told the ‘Prince.’
A rare mistake by McMeekin gave the Bulldogs the ball to start the second half, but the conference’s top offense still could not beat the stifling Tiger defense, anchored by Gianforcaro, who made a nifty save on his knees.
It only took the Tiger offense 115 seconds to add to their total when Cameron scored his second unassisted goal of the night. Five minutes later, Mackesy scored back-back goals, both from his less-preferred left side of the field. The Princeton star had his third and fourth goals on the day, proving to be a recurring nightmare in Yale’s dreams.
With a 12–4 lead halfway through the third quarter, the Tigers were able to cruise for the rest of the game, never letting the lead get closer than six.
Bulldog star attacker Matt Brandau, who leads the nation in points by 99, had a quiet day, only recording two goals and one assist. The Tigers defense showed once again why they strike fear in the hearts of Ivy League offenses.
Dunphey and Wade both managed to get their second goals of the game and Mackesy added his fifth with just two minutes remaining. The Tigers’ sealed a 15–8 victory that has them riding loads of momentum heading into the Ivy League Tournament this coming weekend.
There has been a noticeable shift in the Tigers performance in the run-up to this big win.
“Practices have felt very game-like with people’s urgency and play, aiming to bring our best right when the first whistle blows on game day,” McMeekin described to the ‘Prince.’
Princeton, the three-seed in the tournament, will have to play the Bulldogs again on Friday night — this time up in Ithaca, where the top-seeded Cornell Big Red get home field advantage.
Mackesy isn’t letting the Tigers win against the Bulldogs change how they prepare for Friday’s game. “Despite our past success against Yale, they have dominated the Ivy League for years and constantly find themselves in the postseason — we always feel like we are chasing them,” he told the ‘Prince.’ “Friday is a playoff game and a completely new challenge for us; we still have all our goals in front of us and can’t wait to attack the postseason starting on Friday night.”
Harrison Blank is an assistant Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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