After a grueling non-conference schedule that featured wins over three teams ranked in the top eight, Princeton men’s lacrosse (4–2 overall, 0–1 Ivy League) lost its Ivy opener to the Cornell Big Red (5–1, 1–0).
Heading into the match, the Tigers were ranked second in the country, only behind undefeated Maryland, whom the Tigers lost to in their home opener. Meanwhile, Cornell was ranked No. 6 and coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to No. 4 Penn State.
The Big Red got off to a fast start and never looked back. Though the Tigers attempted to crawl back into the game, the Big Red never gave up their initial lead en route to a resume-boosting 15–10 win at home.
“Cornell after its loss last week was super-charged and came out and played a great game,” head coach Matt Madalon wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “On any day, they can beat anyone in the country. Our results in our non-conference schedule say that we can compete with anyone as well, but we can’t take that for granted.”
After sophomore midfielder Tucker Wade scored his second goal of the game to tie the contest at two, the Big Red ripped away five consecutive goals for a 7–2 advantage midway through the second quarter.
However, the Orange and Black refused to back down, scoring four straight goals to cut the deficit to one. Two of the four goals came from senior attacker Coulter Mackesy, who now has 143 goals, three behind Christopher G. Massey ’98 for second place all-time in a Tiger jersey. Right before halftime, Cornell put one in the back of the net to take an 8–6 lead to the locker room.
“We’re gonna learn a ton from the Cornell game,” Mackesy wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Most importantly how much harder we need to work during the week to prepare for Harvard.”
The third quarter was dominated by Cornell star attacker CJ Kirst. Kirst became Cornell’s all-time leading goal scorer with his fourth goal of the contest with 4:12 remaining in the third. His 192nd career goal broke a nearly 50-year record. Kirst, who finished with seven points (5G, 2A), is regarded as one of the best players in the country and has the highest goals per game average of any player in the country.
“CJ [Kirst] is the best player in the country,” Madalon wrote. “He can do everything you can ask of an attackman, including riding.”
“At the same time, he’s not a one-man show. They have great players on attack and in the midfield. You have to pick your spots when it comes to how you’re going to defend them, and you have to win your matchups. They make that difficult to do,” he continued.
Both sides exchanged goals as the Big Red held a slim 11–9 lead heading into the final quarter. The key for the hosts was time of possession. Cornell dominated the face-offs and ground balls, outshooting the Tigers 38–22 during the first 45 minutes.
“We need to get more possessions. We need to get more 50–50 ground balls. If we can control the ball, we’re confident in how our offense works,” Madalon said.
To start the fourth quarter, Cornell continued to dominate the face-offs, scoring four goals in a row to take a 15–9 lead with just over eight minutes remaining. Princeton never challenged again as Cornell held on for a 15–10 win.
Outside of Kirst, three players stood out for the Big Red. Face-off specialist Jack Cascadden went 13-of-23. Defender Matt Dooley caused three turnovers while Wyatt Knust made a dozen saves in goal.
For Princeton, outside of Mackesy and Wade, junior attacker Chad Palumbo and sophomore attacker Colin Burns each scored a pair of goals while sophomore attacker Nate Kabiri had a goal and two assists.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Tigers, who dropped to No. 6 in Monday’s weekly media poll. On Saturday, the Tigers host No. 12 Harvard (5–1, 1–0) who are coming off a big 14–11 win against the Yale Bulldogs (1–4, 0–1).
“There are no gimmes in the Ivy League. Not one. After the way our game ended Saturday, we know we have to regroup quickly and get ready for another huge challenge from Harvard,” Madalon said.
The Crimson are led by senior attacker Sam King. King was a 2024 Tewaaraton Award Nominee and has recorded at least a point in every game of his career. The captain has 36 points (23G, 13A) in 6 games this season.
Madalon concluded, “We wanted to challenge ourselves to start the season to prepare us for how tough the league is, so we understand the level of intensity and focus that will be required.”
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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