Under the lights of Sherrerd Field on a humid March evening, No. 3 Princeton men’s lacrosse (7–2 overall, 2–1 Ivy League) showed clear control of their game, securing a seven goal victory against Lehigh (5–6, 2–3 Patriot League).
Despite defeating the Mountain Hawks 17–12 a year ago, the Tigers did not come into the game with any expectations.
“We try not to take that mindset,” Head Coach Matt Madalon told The Daily Princetonian when asked about expectations. “Sometimes rankings do show that. I think that’s the scariest part about just trying to put together 60 minutes and make sure we do it well.”
“We really understand how valuable every single game is, and we don’t want to waste it, no matter who we're playing,” sophomore midfielder Jake Vana told the ‘Prince.’ “The mindset is we have to play our brand of lacrosse regardless of who we’re playing. So just knowing that we only get 13 guaranteed games a year, we want to make the most of every opportunity we have.”
The Tigers set the tone early with intensity and speed. Starting only a little over a minute into the game, junior midfielder Tucker Wade took a quick roll off the left side of the goal for an unassisted shot to put Princeton in an early lead. After a goal by sophomore attacker Porter Malkiel only a minute later, the Tigers were up 2–0. The domination had begun.
The defense remained composed during every Lehigh possession, with senior goalie Ryan Croddick leading the front. After two saves by Croddick, Lehigh got on the board with nine minutes left in the quarter. Croddick responded soon after with another quick save.
The gap that allowed for the Lehigh goal was quickly sealed as Princeton responded with three successive goals. Junior attacker Nate Kabiri used his speed to power down the field for a quick goal, and only a minute later added a second with a dodge close to the crease. Junior attacker Colin Burns joined the board with three minutes left. The Tigers were up 5–1.
Lehigh added another at 1:31, evading the Princeton defense. However, the Tigers did not want to end the quarter on a low. Senior midfielder Chad Palumbo fired a last shot with 30 seconds remaining to end the quarter 6–2.
The second quarter remained largely similar, with Princeton slowing the game down while still remaining in control. Palumbo and Wade added two goals during this quarter but the standout performance was from Vana. Vana took a behind-the-back assist from Palumbo for a goal with four minutes remaining. To add on, with only thirty seconds left, Vana had an unassisted goal to end the half 10–3.
The team was electric, playing with an excitement and fun expected of a national contending team.
“A lot of guys were super excited,” Vana said, reflecting on a pregame comment from Offensive Coordinator Jim Mitchell. “That was our only Tuesday game of the year. Before the game, Coach Mitch told our seniors, that’s the last night game. That’s the last time in your life you’re ever going to be able to come from class and play a lacrosse game.”
The third quarter included a goal by sophomore attacker Aidan McDonald and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Cooper Mueller. Mueller had an absolutely beautiful finish off of a lightning-fast passing display from the offense, ripping it past the Lehigh defenders and goalie. Kabiri and Palumbo each added another goal, followed by an unassisted Lehigh goal to end the quarter 14–5.
“We emphasize communication and energy,” Vana told the ‘Prince.’ “If we notice that they’re going to zone, we got to call out. We have to talk to each other.”
“We want to give each other space to dodge, because they’re a really good defense, and we want to give our guys chances to make reads,” he continued. “So definitely, communication and energy on the perimeter was our huge focus.”
The fourth quarter slowed down, and Princeton switched up the lineup, giving more of the roster a chance to see the field. Sophomore midfielder Beau Hokanson capitalized on this chance. With a run from almost midfield, Hokanson used his momentum to fire a shot to the top-right corner of Lehigh’s goal, earning his first goal of the year with ten minutes remaining.
Junior goalie Colin Vickrey got into the action as well, adding two saves under his belt. With three Lehigh goals in the quarter, the score settled at 15–8 for a Princeton victory.
The Tigers will be on the road again for their last non-conference game of the regular season against Vermont (4–4, 2–1 American East Conference) on Saturday in Burlington at noon.
Cadigan Perriello is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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