Saturday, February 25
Princeton, N.J.
1:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
#6 Maryland
Photo by: Nick Ierardi
No. 4 Princeton Hosts No. 6 Maryland In Championship Week Rematch
February 23, 2023 | Men's Lacrosse
Princeton (2-0) vs. Maryland (2-1)
Date/Time — Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 • 1 pm
Location — Sherrerd Field • Princeton, N.J.
Rankings — Princeton: No. 3 Inside Lacrosse, No. 4 USILA; Maryland: No. 9 Inside Lacrosse, No. 6 USILA
How to watch — ESPN+
In-game Twitter updates (@tigerlacrosse)
ESPN+ | International Video Stream
Live Stats
Tickets
Princeton Laxcast with Matt Madalon and Jim Mitchell
Probable Princeton starters
Career highs
Career scoring/pronunciations
The longest day in Princeton men's lacrosse history had to be this past May 28, at the NCAA's Championship Weekend. First, there was the matter of a nearly four-hour lightning/thunder/storm delay that kept the Tigers and the Maryland Terrapins in their lockerrooms and then sent them back to their hotel, only to turn around and come back an hour or so later.
Then there was the game itself. Princeton fell behind early to Maryland and was never able to catch up. When it was over, Maryland was one step closer to the NCAA title it would win two days later, and Princeton was left to deal with the immediacy of the end of a season that was sweet in many respects and yet a bit empty in others.
It's nearly nine months later, and the teams will meet again. The location (Princeton, as opposed to West Hartford), lineups (both teams are replacing key graduation losses) and stakes (February, not late May) may all different, but this is a big game nonetheless. Maryland comes in with wins against Richmond and Syracuse sandwiched around a loss to Loyola, while Princeton is in the beginning stages of a brutal schedule.
Princeton vs. Maryland
Five storylines
National leaders
Princeton is tied for the Division I lead (with UMBC and Yale) for the fewest turnovers per game, at 12.0. Maryland causes 9.67 turnovers per game, 19th-best in Division I.
Alexander Vardaro is tied for seventh in Division I in goals per game but is only fifth in the Ivy League, and nine of the top 20 players in Division I in goals per game are Ivy Leaguers. Princeton's Coulter Mackesy is just outside that group, tied for 21st.
Princeton has started Griffen Rakower in goal for both of its first two games and then started Michael Gianforcaro in the second half. Between them they have a .585 save percentage, which would rank 11th in Division I and second in the Ivy League for one player.
Fast start
Alexander Vardaro has nine goals in Princeton's first two games (five against Monmouth, four against Manhattan). He is the first Princeton player in 29 years to have at least nine goals in the first two games, something not accomplished in the program since Scott Reinhardt did so in 1994.
Vardaro is also the first Princeton middie to have nine goals in a two-game span since Austin Sims did so in 2017, with six goals against both Johns Hopkins and Quinnipiac back-to-back.
Vardaro is shooting 9 for 10, for a Division I-best .900 shooting percentage.
A different kind of fast start
Maryland led 4-1 after 12 minutes of the regular season game a year ago and 5-1 after the first quarter of the semifinal game. Princeton never had the lead against the Terps a year ago, and Maryland held the lead for 116:34 of the 120 minutes of the two games in 2022.
Princeton also played from behind Tuesday night against Manhattan, after the Jaspers scored 12 seconds after the game began. In fact, Manhattan would lead for 30:48 before the Tigers tied and then took the lead, holding it for the final 27:55.
Series history
Maryland leads the all-time series 33-12-1. Prior to the two games last season, the previous two meetings had been in 2015 and 2016, both Maryland wins. Before that, Princeton and Maryland last met in the 2006 NCAA quarterfinals, also a win by the Terps.
Princeton defeated Maryland in both the 1997 and 1998 NCAA championship games, with the 1997 game played at what is now Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (and then was called Byrd Stadium). Princeton also won the 1994 and 1996 NCAA titles at Maryland Stadium, both times against Virginia.
Face it
Princeton has won 34 of 61 face-offs through two games, or .557. The Tigers had two players, Tyler Sandoval and Koby Ginder, win eight against Manhattan. Ginder won 8 of 12 and had five ground balls, while Sandoval went 8 for 14 with four ground balls and an assist.
Sandoval also had an assist in the game, in fact, an assist that made Princeton history. After Alex Slusher tied the game at 5-5 two minutes into the third, Sandoval won the face-off and found Braedon Saris, whose goal five seconds after Slusher's put Princeton on top and marked the quickest two goals in program history.
Maryland leads Division I in team face-off percentage, having won 71.1 percent of its draws. Luke Wierman is fifth individually, with a .743 percentage.
Princeton as a team has not been above .500 for a season since 2012.
Other notes
Maryland scored 28 goals in two games against Princeton last year. Of those 28, there were 15 scored by Logan Wisnauskas, Keegan Khan and Jonathan Donville, all of whom are currently in the PLL … Princeton is playing its second of seven straight games against teams who were in the NCAA tournament a year ago, something that Princeton has never done in any prior season … Maryland defensive coordinator Jesse Bernhardt was the defensive coordinator at Princeton during Matt Madalon's first full season as head coach in 2016 … Princeton has won 18 of its last 23 games … Braedon Saris has four goals and five assists in two games after having one assist a year ago in two games … Princeton has taken 101 shots in two games, or 50.5 per game; Princeton was held to a season-low 23 shots in the regular season game against Maryland last year but outshot the Terps 49-47 in the semifinal game.
What can you say about? …
No. 0 Griffen Rakower (Sr., G)
* made his first two career starts and played the first half against both Monmouth and Manhattan
* had six saves while allowing three goals against Monmouth
* had eight saves while allowing five goals against Manhattan
No. 2 Chad Palumbo (Fr., M)
* had two goals in his first game, against Monmouth
* became the seventh player to play for Matt Madalon who had two goals in the first game of his freshman year, along with: Michael Sowers, Phillip Robertson and Chris Brown and current players Alexander Vardaro, Alex Slusher and Coulter Mackesy
No. 3 Pace Billings (Jr, D)
* Tewaaraton Award watchlist
* has started the first two games on close defense
* leads the team with three caused turnovers
* played mostly LSM last year, when he was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team
No. 5 Alex Slusher (Sr., A)
* has at least one goal in 21 straight games
* has 56 career goals, second on the team, two behind Alexander Vardaro
* has three goals and three assists through two games
* one of Princeton's captains
No. 6 Cathal Roberts (Sr., LSM)
* has been a starter on D and an LSM while also playing on face-off wings
* has a caused turnover and six ground balls
No. 7 Luca Lazzaretto (Sr., LSM)
* has been a consistent LSM throughout his career
No. 10 Ben Finlay (Sr., D)
* has started every game of his career on defense
* one of Princeton's captains
No. 11 Sean Cameron (So., M)
* second-line midfielder
* had a goal against Manhattan
No. 12 Christian Ronda (Sr., M)
* has two goals and four assists this season
* has twice as many assists this season in two games than he did a year ago in 16
* has started every game the last two seasons
* had 23 goals a year ago, including six in the NCAA tournament
No. 13 Joe Juengerkes (Jr., SSDM)
* has two caused turnovers
No. 14 Jake Stevens (Sr., M)
* preseason second-team All-American
* plays on the second midfield and face-off wings
* had three goals and six ground balls through two games
* 2022 honorable mention All-American
No. 15 Sam English (Sr., M)
* Tewaaaraton Award watchlist
* has four assists through two games
* had 30 goals and 18 assists a year ago
* 2022 honorable mention All-American
No. 17 Michael Bath (So., LSM)
* plays LSM and on the face-off wings
* has two caused turnovers
No. 18 Luc Anderson (Sr., SSDM)
* one of the Tiger captains
* has been slowed by injuries most of his career
No. 19 Alexander Vardaro (Sr., M)
* Princeton's leading scorer with nine goals and 11 points
* has nine goals on 10 shots, for a Division I-best .900 shooting percentage
* had five goals against Monmouth and four against Manhattan
* first player in 29 years to have at least nine goals in the first two games of a season (Scott Reinhardt in 1993)
* Princeton's leading career scorer with 58 goals and 82 points
No. 21 Tommy Barnds (Jr., M)
* second-line midfielder
* had a goal against Monmouth
No. 23 Beau Pederson (Sr., SSDM)
* preseason first-team All-American
* one of Princeton's captains
* third-team All-American a year ago
No. 24 Marquez White (Jr., SSDM)
* first line defensive midfielder
No. 27 Michael Gianforcaro (Jr., G)
* had five saves against both Monmouth and Manhattan
* has started the second half of both games
* made three of his five saves against Manhattan in the first four minutes of the third quarter, when Princeton went from down a goal to start an 8-2 run that led to a 14-9 win
No. 28 Jacob Stoebner (Sr., D)
* veteran defenseman who is part of the regular rotation
No. 32 Andrew McMeekin (Fr., FO)
* won 5 of 9 face-offs against Monmouth
No. 35 Tyler Sandoval (Jr., FO)
* has won 18 of 31 face-offs (.581)
* has six ground balls
* had an assist against Manhattan five seconds after another Princeton goal (it was the shortest elapsed time between goals in Princeton history)
No. 36 Braedon Saris (So., A)
* starting on attack after playing in two games a year ago, with one assist
* had three goals and three assists against Monmouth
* had a goal and two assists against Manhattan
No. 39 Weston Carpenter (Sr., M)
* has a goal in each of the first two games
* did not have a goal in his career prior to this season
No. 43 Colin Mulshine (So., D)
* starter on defense
* started 11 games as a freshman, including the final nine
No. 50 Liam Fairback (So., SSDM)
* converted offensive midfielder who is in the regular defensive midfield rotation
No. 91 Coulter Mackesy (So., A)
* had four goals and two assists against Monmouth
* had three goals against Manhattan
* had 28 goals and 15 assists a year ago; his 43 points were the fourth-most ever by a Princeton freshman, behind only Michael Sowers, Kevin Lowe and Ryan Boyle
No. 99 Koby Ginder (So., FO)
* won 8 of 12 face-offs against Manhattan with five ground balls
Date/Time — Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 • 1 pm
Location — Sherrerd Field • Princeton, N.J.
Rankings — Princeton: No. 3 Inside Lacrosse, No. 4 USILA; Maryland: No. 9 Inside Lacrosse, No. 6 USILA
How to watch — ESPN+
In-game Twitter updates (@tigerlacrosse)
ESPN+ | International Video Stream
Live Stats
Tickets
Princeton Laxcast with Matt Madalon and Jim Mitchell
Probable Princeton starters
Career highs
Career scoring/pronunciations
The longest day in Princeton men's lacrosse history had to be this past May 28, at the NCAA's Championship Weekend. First, there was the matter of a nearly four-hour lightning/thunder/storm delay that kept the Tigers and the Maryland Terrapins in their lockerrooms and then sent them back to their hotel, only to turn around and come back an hour or so later.
Then there was the game itself. Princeton fell behind early to Maryland and was never able to catch up. When it was over, Maryland was one step closer to the NCAA title it would win two days later, and Princeton was left to deal with the immediacy of the end of a season that was sweet in many respects and yet a bit empty in others.
It's nearly nine months later, and the teams will meet again. The location (Princeton, as opposed to West Hartford), lineups (both teams are replacing key graduation losses) and stakes (February, not late May) may all different, but this is a big game nonetheless. Maryland comes in with wins against Richmond and Syracuse sandwiched around a loss to Loyola, while Princeton is in the beginning stages of a brutal schedule.
Princeton vs. Maryland
Five storylines
National leaders
Princeton is tied for the Division I lead (with UMBC and Yale) for the fewest turnovers per game, at 12.0. Maryland causes 9.67 turnovers per game, 19th-best in Division I.
Alexander Vardaro is tied for seventh in Division I in goals per game but is only fifth in the Ivy League, and nine of the top 20 players in Division I in goals per game are Ivy Leaguers. Princeton's Coulter Mackesy is just outside that group, tied for 21st.
Princeton has started Griffen Rakower in goal for both of its first two games and then started Michael Gianforcaro in the second half. Between them they have a .585 save percentage, which would rank 11th in Division I and second in the Ivy League for one player.
Fast start
Alexander Vardaro has nine goals in Princeton's first two games (five against Monmouth, four against Manhattan). He is the first Princeton player in 29 years to have at least nine goals in the first two games, something not accomplished in the program since Scott Reinhardt did so in 1994.
Vardaro is also the first Princeton middie to have nine goals in a two-game span since Austin Sims did so in 2017, with six goals against both Johns Hopkins and Quinnipiac back-to-back.
Vardaro is shooting 9 for 10, for a Division I-best .900 shooting percentage.
A different kind of fast start
Maryland led 4-1 after 12 minutes of the regular season game a year ago and 5-1 after the first quarter of the semifinal game. Princeton never had the lead against the Terps a year ago, and Maryland held the lead for 116:34 of the 120 minutes of the two games in 2022.
Princeton also played from behind Tuesday night against Manhattan, after the Jaspers scored 12 seconds after the game began. In fact, Manhattan would lead for 30:48 before the Tigers tied and then took the lead, holding it for the final 27:55.
Series history
Maryland leads the all-time series 33-12-1. Prior to the two games last season, the previous two meetings had been in 2015 and 2016, both Maryland wins. Before that, Princeton and Maryland last met in the 2006 NCAA quarterfinals, also a win by the Terps.
Princeton defeated Maryland in both the 1997 and 1998 NCAA championship games, with the 1997 game played at what is now Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (and then was called Byrd Stadium). Princeton also won the 1994 and 1996 NCAA titles at Maryland Stadium, both times against Virginia.
Face it
Princeton has won 34 of 61 face-offs through two games, or .557. The Tigers had two players, Tyler Sandoval and Koby Ginder, win eight against Manhattan. Ginder won 8 of 12 and had five ground balls, while Sandoval went 8 for 14 with four ground balls and an assist.
Sandoval also had an assist in the game, in fact, an assist that made Princeton history. After Alex Slusher tied the game at 5-5 two minutes into the third, Sandoval won the face-off and found Braedon Saris, whose goal five seconds after Slusher's put Princeton on top and marked the quickest two goals in program history.
Maryland leads Division I in team face-off percentage, having won 71.1 percent of its draws. Luke Wierman is fifth individually, with a .743 percentage.
Princeton as a team has not been above .500 for a season since 2012.
Other notes
Maryland scored 28 goals in two games against Princeton last year. Of those 28, there were 15 scored by Logan Wisnauskas, Keegan Khan and Jonathan Donville, all of whom are currently in the PLL … Princeton is playing its second of seven straight games against teams who were in the NCAA tournament a year ago, something that Princeton has never done in any prior season … Maryland defensive coordinator Jesse Bernhardt was the defensive coordinator at Princeton during Matt Madalon's first full season as head coach in 2016 … Princeton has won 18 of its last 23 games … Braedon Saris has four goals and five assists in two games after having one assist a year ago in two games … Princeton has taken 101 shots in two games, or 50.5 per game; Princeton was held to a season-low 23 shots in the regular season game against Maryland last year but outshot the Terps 49-47 in the semifinal game.
What can you say about? …
No. 0 Griffen Rakower (Sr., G)
* made his first two career starts and played the first half against both Monmouth and Manhattan
* had six saves while allowing three goals against Monmouth
* had eight saves while allowing five goals against Manhattan
No. 2 Chad Palumbo (Fr., M)
* had two goals in his first game, against Monmouth
* became the seventh player to play for Matt Madalon who had two goals in the first game of his freshman year, along with: Michael Sowers, Phillip Robertson and Chris Brown and current players Alexander Vardaro, Alex Slusher and Coulter Mackesy
No. 3 Pace Billings (Jr, D)
* Tewaaraton Award watchlist
* has started the first two games on close defense
* leads the team with three caused turnovers
* played mostly LSM last year, when he was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team
No. 5 Alex Slusher (Sr., A)
* has at least one goal in 21 straight games
* has 56 career goals, second on the team, two behind Alexander Vardaro
* has three goals and three assists through two games
* one of Princeton's captains
No. 6 Cathal Roberts (Sr., LSM)
* has been a starter on D and an LSM while also playing on face-off wings
* has a caused turnover and six ground balls
No. 7 Luca Lazzaretto (Sr., LSM)
* has been a consistent LSM throughout his career
No. 10 Ben Finlay (Sr., D)
* has started every game of his career on defense
* one of Princeton's captains
No. 11 Sean Cameron (So., M)
* second-line midfielder
* had a goal against Manhattan
No. 12 Christian Ronda (Sr., M)
* has two goals and four assists this season
* has twice as many assists this season in two games than he did a year ago in 16
* has started every game the last two seasons
* had 23 goals a year ago, including six in the NCAA tournament
No. 13 Joe Juengerkes (Jr., SSDM)
* has two caused turnovers
No. 14 Jake Stevens (Sr., M)
* preseason second-team All-American
* plays on the second midfield and face-off wings
* had three goals and six ground balls through two games
* 2022 honorable mention All-American
No. 15 Sam English (Sr., M)
* Tewaaaraton Award watchlist
* has four assists through two games
* had 30 goals and 18 assists a year ago
* 2022 honorable mention All-American
No. 17 Michael Bath (So., LSM)
* plays LSM and on the face-off wings
* has two caused turnovers
No. 18 Luc Anderson (Sr., SSDM)
* one of the Tiger captains
* has been slowed by injuries most of his career
No. 19 Alexander Vardaro (Sr., M)
* Princeton's leading scorer with nine goals and 11 points
* has nine goals on 10 shots, for a Division I-best .900 shooting percentage
* had five goals against Monmouth and four against Manhattan
* first player in 29 years to have at least nine goals in the first two games of a season (Scott Reinhardt in 1993)
* Princeton's leading career scorer with 58 goals and 82 points
No. 21 Tommy Barnds (Jr., M)
* second-line midfielder
* had a goal against Monmouth
No. 23 Beau Pederson (Sr., SSDM)
* preseason first-team All-American
* one of Princeton's captains
* third-team All-American a year ago
No. 24 Marquez White (Jr., SSDM)
* first line defensive midfielder
No. 27 Michael Gianforcaro (Jr., G)
* had five saves against both Monmouth and Manhattan
* has started the second half of both games
* made three of his five saves against Manhattan in the first four minutes of the third quarter, when Princeton went from down a goal to start an 8-2 run that led to a 14-9 win
No. 28 Jacob Stoebner (Sr., D)
* veteran defenseman who is part of the regular rotation
No. 32 Andrew McMeekin (Fr., FO)
* won 5 of 9 face-offs against Monmouth
No. 35 Tyler Sandoval (Jr., FO)
* has won 18 of 31 face-offs (.581)
* has six ground balls
* had an assist against Manhattan five seconds after another Princeton goal (it was the shortest elapsed time between goals in Princeton history)
No. 36 Braedon Saris (So., A)
* starting on attack after playing in two games a year ago, with one assist
* had three goals and three assists against Monmouth
* had a goal and two assists against Manhattan
No. 39 Weston Carpenter (Sr., M)
* has a goal in each of the first two games
* did not have a goal in his career prior to this season
No. 43 Colin Mulshine (So., D)
* starter on defense
* started 11 games as a freshman, including the final nine
No. 50 Liam Fairback (So., SSDM)
* converted offensive midfielder who is in the regular defensive midfield rotation
No. 91 Coulter Mackesy (So., A)
* had four goals and two assists against Monmouth
* had three goals against Manhattan
* had 28 goals and 15 assists a year ago; his 43 points were the fourth-most ever by a Princeton freshman, behind only Michael Sowers, Kevin Lowe and Ryan Boyle
No. 99 Koby Ginder (So., FO)
* won 8 of 12 face-offs against Manhattan with five ground balls
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