On a sunny Valentine’s day game, Princeton men’s lacrosse (0–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) fell to Penn State (2–1 overall, 0–0 Big Ten Conference) for the first game of the season in their own Sherrerd Field Stadium. The Nittany Lions, coming off an overtime loss last weekend against Villanova, showed a clear dominance of possession and scoring-opportunities in the game. The Tigers lost 13–7.
Penn State, with two games already under their belt, jumped on every opportunity early in the first quarter, showing a cohesive offensive unit. However, Penn State was coming into the game completely blind on Princeton’s 2026 team.
“The trade off is they don’t have a true scout on us,” head Coach Matt Madalon said in a post-game interview with The Daily Princetonian. “We can’t make an excuse for that.”
The Nittany Lions controlled possession from the first face-off, gaining an early lead with two successive goals. One goal came at 43 seconds into the game, quickly followed by another at 1:23, with Princeton’s defense scrambling to find its footing.
“They jumped on us, right off the bat,” Madalon noted, putting the Tiger attack “on their heels.”
Princeton finally slowed down the momentum with an interception by junior short-stick defensive midfielder Jackson Green, finally getting the ball onto the Tiger half. This interception led to the first Princeton goal of the game at three minutes into the game. Junior midfielder Tucker Wade finished the assist from senior midfielder Chad Palumbo to get the Tigers on the board with a score of 2–1.
Yet, this goal did not shift the momentum for the Tigers. Princeton’s lack of experience playing as a unit showed clearly through sloppy goals and lack of patience on their short possessions. The first quarter continued with five more Penn State goals, the last with only 30 seconds left in play.
The early game proved the perfect formula for the Lions’ success, dominating possessions and finishing every scoring opportunity. With numerous turnovers, some unforced, by the Tigers in the first quarter, the defense could not slow down Penn State’s determined attacking presence. The Tiger defense was consistently late to slide, paired with senior face-off player Andrew McMeekin struggling at the X ended the quarter at 7–1.
With the second quarter under way, the game followed similar patterns. However, an early goal by junior attacker Nate Kabiri with a little over a minute into play gave a glimpse of the nationally renowned Tiger attacking unit. After an unsuccessful goal, Princeton kept possession as junior attacker Colin Burns ended a rapid-fire passing sequence to Kabiri. Kabiri took the shot from outside the circle to finish with a corner shot in the top-left of the cage.
Burns and Kabiri, teammates since their time at Georgetown Preparatory School, showed the power of communication and unselfish play, a cornerstone of Princeton’s success in the past.
“We’ve always played well together,” Kabiri told the ‘Prince’ regarding his teamwork with Burns. “I think this year we’re communicating even more. We’re on even more of the same page.”
This increased communication between two leaders of the attack showed how communication and tactics could allow the Tigers to thrive moving forward. However, their communication was not enough to shift the momentum, and Penn State responded with two more goals.
Princeton ended the half on a positive play with thirty seconds left. Senior midfielder John Dunphey fired a quick pass right across the crease to Kabiri for a bounce shot to finish. The half ended at a score of 3–9, with the Tigers looking to prove the high hopes from their preseason ranking.
The third quarter was largely uneventful, however Princeton was finally able to keep possession for longer bouts, showing some composure and patience. The Lions had another quick goal with a little over two minutes into play, increasing the deficit.
Princeton’s first goal of the quarter occurred at a little over four minutes left, another Burns and Kabiri dynamic play. Starting from behind the cage, Burns passed a quick ball to Kabiri with a corner-shot to finish. This duo ruled the Princeton attack.
The Orange and Black showcased some new members of the unit, including sophomore attacker Peter Buonanno, a former midfielder for the Tigers shifting his role.
“We got some guys playing the first game of attack,” Kabiri said, “including Pete, who’s a superstar, and other younger guys that we just got to keep talking to.” Communication proved a weak point for Princeton, something expected in the first game of the season.
The fourth quarter finally showed a shift in momentum to a Tiger controlled period. After a Penn State penalty, Princeton optimized on a 30-second man-up play. Palumbo finally got on the board with an undershot shot for a lower-left finish in goal after an assist from Buonanno.
This goal started a brief Princeton streak. Buonanno dodged through the Lion defense for a close-goal shot to the bottom left two minutes into play. With another goal by Wade, unassisted, five minutes into the period, Princeton had seemingly started a comeback with only a three-goal deficit at 10–7.
“Lacrosse is a game of momentum and runs,” Madalon told the ‘Prince,’ referencing Princeton’s success early in the fourth. “I think we even had a transition opportunity, and we played it like knuckleheads.”
This momentum was short-lived as the Lions finished out the game with three more goals ending the game with a score of 13–7.
When asked about the biggest takeaways from today’s loss, Coach Madalan listed man-to-man coverage on defense.
“We got to make sure we come out of the gates, get a little better coverage right off the bat, protect Ryan, and give him some outside shots,” Madalon told the ‘Prince.’
Princeton has no days off looking into a tough two weekends of games against Maryland, Syracuse, and UNC. The Tigers look ahead to their first away game against Maryland, No. 1 in the Inside Lacrosse pre-season poll on Feb. 21.
Cadigan Perriello is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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