SSDMs — And Attack — Rain On North Carolina 15-9

Friday, March 1

Chapel Hill, N.C.

8:00 PM

Princeton University

3-1

North Carolina

2-2

Princeton

North Carolina

Cooper Mueller checks the ball from Andrew Preis during Princeton's 15-9 win over North Carolina.

Photo by: Brian McWalters

SSDMs — And Attack — Rain On North Carolina 15-9

March 01, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

It was raining in the first quarter of the Princeton-North Carolina men's lacrosse game Friday night in Chapel Hill. It poured in the second quarter — goals from Coulter Mackesy and Nate Kabiri, that is.

And while those two plus Colin Burns continued to play their own personal lacrosse version of H-O-R-S-E and Tiger goalie Michael Gianforcaro did his usual thing in net, the real stars of what became a 15-9 Princeton win were the guys who always fly under the radar, the shortstick defensive midfielders.

Marquez White, Michael Kelly, Joe Juengerkes, Cooper Mueller and Liam Fairback, Princeton's top five SSDMs, combined for two caused turnovers and 10 ground balls. Of those totals, one of the CTs and five of the gorund balls came from Fairback, who was awarded the team's game sheet as the Player of the Game afterwards.

The win concluded a big day for the Ivy League in ACC country, as Penn knocked off Duke 14-12 to give the Ivies a sweep on the first day of the weekend. Princeton will be at Duke, while Penn will be at North Carolina Sunday at noon.

Nate Kabiri SPLASHES one in the top left corner ???? @TigerLacrosse

(via ACCN) pic.twitter.com/HRaFJXqlm7
— TLN ?? (@LacrosseNetwork) March 2, 2024

The forecast for Sunday is for clear skies and warmth, which would be a huge contrast to Friday night, when it rained start to finish. UNC led 4-3 after the first quarter, but it was all Tigers from there.

Princeton outscored the Tar Heels 6-1 in the second, making it 9-5 at the break. In those second 15 minutes, Kabiri scored three times, Mackesy scored two more after having two in the first and Andrew McMeekin won 6 of 8 face-offs.

The Tar Heels never got closer than three in the second half. And when they did, at 11-8 in the third, Princeton answered with two big goals, one from Quinn Kramer and another from defenseman Colin Mulshine, and just like it was back to a five-goal game.

Mackesy finished with five goals and two assists, and he now has 93 career goals and 46 career assists. Kabiri finished with four goals, giving him 14 in his first four games and at least three in every game, numbers no other Princeton freshman has ever put up.

Burns had his third three-goal game of his young career. Gianforcaro made 12 saves.