After dropping their first Ivy League matchup against now-No. 1 Cornell (7–1 overall, 3–0 Ivy League), No. 4 Princeton (6–2, 2–1) has righted the ship with two straight ranked wins against No. 13 Harvard (7–2, 1–1) and No. 18 Dartmouth (7–2, 1–1).
The Tigers have now faced seven ranked opponents in their first eight games of the regular season, winning five of those contests. After the win on Saturday at Dartmouth, Princeton not only re-emphasized its ability to win big games, but also notched its 10th straight victory over the Big Green to pad a 21–3 all–time record.
Despite a slow start and less than ideal weather, the Orange and Black were able to keep their poise and pull out a gritty 11–8 win in Hanover. Princeton embodied an offensive mindset, keeping possession of the ball and limiting Dartmouth’s attacking opportunities which, paired with junior goaltender Ryan Croddick’s stellar 13 saves, propelled the Tigers to victory.
After the Big Green opened up the scoring midway into the first quarter, Princeton responded quickly. Sophomore short-stick defensive midfielder Cooper Mueller put the Tigers on the board just 21 seconds after Dartmouth’s opener, tying the score at 1–1. However, it was Dartmouth who commanded the quarter, taking a 3–1 lead as the horn sounded despite being out-shot by the Tigers 14–9 in the opening frame.
“Dartmouth was a good team, so credit to them,” sophomore attacker Colin Burns said to The Daily Princetonian. “We were especially struggling to shoot the ball.”
Although Dartmouth added to their lead early in the second quarter, making it 4–1, it was all Princeton from that point forth. Senior attacker Coulter Mackesy scored two goals in the first five minutes of the quarter to revive the Tigers and cut the deficit to 4–3.
Mackesy’s second goal, an impressive long-distance shot, was the 147th of his collegiate career, making him the second-highest goalscorer in Princeton lacrosse history. He now only trails Princeton legend Jesse Hubbard ’98, who stands at 163 goals, a mark that Mackesy will aim to surpass by the end of the season.
“A lot of players around me made that possible,” Mackesy said. “But right now, I’m just focused on helping my team out anyway I can.”
Princeton found the back of the net yet again through sophomore attacker Nate Kabiri, tying the score for the first time since the first quarter. After two goals from first-year attacker Peter Buonnano and Burns, Princeton took a 6–5 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Tigers played a nearly flawless second quarter to gain their first lead of the game heading into halftime. The 15 minutes were marked with Princeton dominance that saw the Tigers outshoot the Big Green 26–6, winning twice as many ground balls and conceding zero turnovers in comparison to Dartmouth’s four.
“I think we settled in after a shaky start to the game,” Mackesy said. “We found our rhythm on offense and started burying shots.”
Princeton re-asserted its dominance in the third quarter, shutting out Dartmouth and keeping them scoreless for nearly half an hour of extended game time. Burns scored twice during that time, putting Princeton ahead 8–5 off an assist from his high school teammate Kabiri.
“Nate’s just really been great to play with in both high school and college,” Burns told the ‘Prince.’ “We just try to have fun when we’re out there together, and that’s what keeps us going.”
Despite a comeback attempt in the fourth, goals from Kabiri, Mackesy, and sophomore short-stick defensive midfielder Jackson Green and a crucial save from Croddick silenced the Big Green faithful as the Tigers walked away with an 11–8 victory.
“Today was definitely a gritty game,” Burns stated. “It was definitely a little scary there in the fourth [quarter], but I had no doubt our guys would rally and put forth an effort to get the win.”
Ivy League play will now take a pause for the Tigers as they return home for a midweek matchup with Lehigh University (3–6, 2–2 Patriot League) on Tuesday, April 1 at Sherrerd Field.
Lucas Nor is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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