Princeton Drops 13-12 Decision To Penn State In NCAA Tournament; Mackesy Breaks School Goals Record

Sunday, May 14

University Park, Pa.

7:30 PM

Princeton University

8-7

#5 Penn State

104

Princeton

Penn State

Coulter Mackesy drives to the goal in Princeton's 13-12 loss to Penn State. Mackesy broke the program record for goals in a season as he scored six, giving him 55 for the year.

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Princeton Drops 13-12 Decision To Penn State In NCAA Tournament; Mackesy Breaks School Goals Record

May 14, 2023 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

This is the time of year that you want be playing lacrosse. This is the best time. It's also the cruelist time.

A year ago, Princeton rode a wave all the way to Championship Weekend. This time around, Princeton found that out all too painfully what the other side feels like Sunday night at Penn State.

Princeton built a six-goal first-half lead and then rallied from a three-goal fourth-quarter deficit to tie its NCAA Opening Round game against the Nittany Lions. In the end, though, Kevin Winkoff's goal with 4:16 left put Penn State back on top and Jack Fracyon's save with 30 seconds left preserved a 13-12 win. And so it will be the Nittany Lions who advance to this coming weekend's quarterfinal round and the Tigers whose season ends. It's the harsh reality of May lacrosse.

Coulter Mackesy scored six goals to break Princeton's single-season record with 55, one better than Gavin McBride's six-year-old former record and two better than Jesse Hubbard in 1997. The six goals also evened him with Hubbard (who did it twice) and Chris Massey for the program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game.

Princeton, the Ivy League tournament champion, got out to a 7-1 lead in the second quarter before Penn State went on an 11-2 run, shutting the Tigers out in the third quarter and building a 12-9 lead with 12:38 left in the fourth. Mackesy, who had five in the first half, ended a 23:36 scoring drought with his six, for the record, and Jake Stevens and Alexander Vardaro followed with goals within the next 1:16, and suddenly it was tied midway through the fourth.

Penn State would untie it on Winkoff's blast, though, and Princeton couldn't get that one back. The final possession ended when Fracyon snatched Vardaro's rising shot with 30 seconds left, and Penn State ran out the clock from there.

Other than Mackesy, Vardaro, who scored twice, was the only Tiger with more than one goal. Stevens, Sean Cameron, John Dunphey and Alex Slusher had one each. Andrew McMeekin won 18 for 28 face-offs and had 11 ground balls for the Tigers.