For 27 years, no Tiger came close to the record for career goals set by Jesse Hubbard ’98 — until now. On Saturday afternoon, senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy broke the record with his 164th career goal.
“I couldn’t have drawn up any better,” Mackesy wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “For it to happen during my last game at [the Class of 1952 Stadium] off a pass from [sophomore attacker Nate] Kabiri, it was a dream come true.”
In the process, the No. 3 ranked Tiger lacrosse (13–3 overall, 5–1 Ivy League) exploded offensively en route to a 22–12 win over No. 14 Towson (11–6, 7–0 Coastal Athletic Association).
Kabiri and sophomore midfielder Tucker Wade each recorded seven points (five goals and two assists). Sophomore attacker Colin Burns also added four goals while junior face-off specialist Andrew McMeekin was key, winning 62.5 percent at the X and recording his first goal of the season.
“I thought [Offensive Coordinator Jim Mitchell] did a really good job helping prepare us as an offense for what we were going to see,” Kabiri said. “That and the unselfish ball movement that we had today as an offense definitely contributed to that.”
The Tigers have only scored 22 once more in an NCAA tournament game: the 1996 NCAA quarterfinal game against Towson.
“It’s such a joy to watch when they’re humming like yesterday,” Head Coach Matt Madalon wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “To have so many different players make big contributions, that’s what we hope for every game.”
With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals, where they will take on No. 5 Syracuse (12–5, 2–2 Atlantic Coast Conference). In the first round, the Orange beat No. 13 Harvard (10–5, 4–2 Ivy) 13–12 in sudden-death overtime.
“I think if we just play our best lacrosse, we’re capable of beating anyone on that day,” McMeekin said.
Wade scored the first two goals of the game for the Orange and Black to put them up 2–0. In the first quarter, Towson generated several quality scoring opportunities but failed to convert, with junior goalie Ryan Croddick making three crucial early saves. Towson’s breakthrough came with just under four minutes remaining in the first period.
Shortly after, Kabiri connected with Mackesy, who scored his record-breaking goal. The goal also marked Mackesy’s 34th consecutive game with at least one goal. Seconds later, Kabiri set up Burns, who extended Princeton’s lead to 4–1 at the end of the first quarter.
With two first-quarter assists, Nate Kabiri became the first Tiger with at least 30 goals and 25 assists in each of his first two seasons.
“It’s a testament to all my teammates around me,” Kabiri said. “A lot of times, I’m gonna be at the end of a play, but that play is started by a bunch of other guys on the offense, winning the matchups and moving the ball efficiently.”
The visiting Towson Tigers fought back in the second quarter, going on a 4–1 run to tie the game at five. This marked the game’s first tie since the opening whistle.
The equalizer served as a wake-up call for Princeton. Wade’s standout performance continued with his fourth goal of the day. Entering the game, the Maryland native had 21 goals in 15 games. The next goal was a near carbon copy of the previous, with the Orange and Black picking apart the Towson zone as senior midfielder Sean Cameron got on the scoresheet.
Consecutive goals by Burns and Kabiri made it four unanswered goals in a span of 83 seconds for the hosts. The face-off was key for Princeton, as they won 11 in a row. Junior face-off specialist Andrew McMeekin was nine for 11 at the X with five ground balls and an assist.
“That’s all the coaching staff,” McMeekin said. “[Assistant] Coach [Casey] Dowd makes it pretty easy for me to just go out there and play freely and confidently, which is when I play the best.”
Fitzpatrick stopped the bleeding for Towson with under three minutes remaining in the second quarter. In the ensuing face-off, McMeekin won his 10th face-off and took matters into his own hands, scoring his first goal of the season.
“I was really excited — it was good to finally get one,” McMeekin recalled. “I just took it in as far as I could since they didn’t slide and just tried to put a fundamental bouncer in there.”
At halftime, Princeton led 11–7 after Fitzpatrick and Kabiri traded goals at the end of the half. Despite dominating the face-off, Towson was able to remain in the game as the Orange and Black committed eight first-half turnovers. Both goalies made seven saves in the first half.
“We didn’t think we’d played our best 30 minutes,” Madalon wrote. “We knew what we needed to clean up. We knew that the team we were playing was explosive and could put together a run at any time.”
After first-year attacker Peter Buonanno scored his first goal of the night, Fitzpatrick scored his fourth goal of the game, as Princeton had no answer for him. On the ensuing offensive possession, Mackesy found Kabiri, who scored as time expired to make it 13–8. It was Kabiri’s fifth point of the game (three goals, two assists).
After sophomore midfielder Cooper Mueller gave Princeton its largest lead of the night, Towson scored two quick goals to cut the deficit to four. The first five minutes of the second half saw a combined seven goals.
Princeton’s attack continued to be relentless. Kabiri scored his fourth goal, and under a minute later, Wade drew two Towson defenders before assisting Burns to make it 16–10. After starting with only five for 15 shooting, the Tigers went 11 for 13, scoring at an 84.6 percent clip.
In transition, Burns scored his fourth goal of the game with under four minutes remaining in the third period, joining Kabiri and Wade as the third Tiger to score four goals against Towson. The sophomore duo of Burns and Kabiri has played lacrosse together since their junior year of high school at Georgetown Prep.
At the end of the third quarter, goals from Palumbo, Wade, and Cameron had Princeton leading 20–10. For the Orange and Black, it marked the most goals they have scored all year. Meanwhile, Towson had not given up more than 18 goals entering today’s game.
In the fourth quarter, it was clear Towson had waved the white flag. Both sides exchanged two goals as Princeton won 22–12.
The magic number for the Tigers is now three. Three more wins in the month of May will see the Orange and Black hoist the NCAA trophy for the first time since 2001.
“It’s a dream of all of ours to make it there and to win a national championship,” Kabiri said.
“There is no forgiveness at this time of year,” Madalon wrote. “We need to be at our best for every possession, with every guy on our roster. It’s all hands on deck now.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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