Princeton’s season comes down to win-and-in game at Yale
It all comes down to the final game of the regular season for the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team.
A win over No. 9 Yale (11-2, 4-1 Ivy) and the No. 14 Tigers (8-4, 3-2 Ivy) qualify for a spot in the Ivy League Tournament as the No. 2 seed.
The game is set for noon at Reese Stadium in New Haven, Conn.
Should Princeton lose, it needs a win by Harvard over Brown to secure a spot. A Princeton loss and a Brown win means the Bears take the last spot and the Tigers are out.
Yale, Cornell and Penn have already clinched a berth to the Ivy Tournament.
“Everything is on the line for us,” said Princeton coach Matt Madalon. “There’s always motivation when you need to win to play next week. This is a very hungry group.”
Princeton is coming off an impressive win over Penn when goalie Michael Gianforcaro was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after a 15-save performance, one that also saw Gianforcaro go end to end and backhand one into the cage.
Freshman Nate Kabiri was on the Ivy Honor Roll for his effort in the Penn victory.
The Tigers got a fast start and held the Quakers off for a positive effort.
Madalon has liked the way his team responded to both the wins and the losses this season.
“It is a group that has always shown back on Monday with the right mentality all year,” said Madalon. “You have a little more of an edge after losses, but we reminded them to keep the edge remain desperate and earn next week.”
Yale, which has won seven straight, isn’t going to make things easy.
The Bulldogs are led by Matt Brandau, who has 41 goals and 53 assists. He leads the league in assists per game with 4.08 and averages 7.23 points per game.
Coulter Mackesy leads Princeton with 29 goals and 18 assists and Kabiri has 29 goals and 16 assists. Gianforcaro has a league best goals against average of 10.18.
Princeton has won three straight over Yale, with the last meeting coming in the 2023 Ivy League Tournament championship.
“It’s a great time of the year,” said Madalon. “The weather is getting warmer and it’s great lacrosse weather.”