Bath Sets School Record As Princeton Tops Rutgers 14-8 To Win Meistrell Cup

Sunday, March 10

Piscataway, N.J.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

4-2

Rutgers

5-2

PRIN

Photo by: Nick Ierardi

Bath Sets School Record As Princeton Tops Rutgers 14-8 To Win Meistrell Cup

March 10, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

The Rutgers men's lacrosse team came into Sunday afternoon's game against Princeton as the Division I leader in fewest turnovers per game. A year ago, Rutgers finished the season No. 1 in the same category. A year earlier, the Scarlet Knights were No. 3.

Somebody forgot to tell that to the Princeton defense, especially Michael Bath.

Princeton hounded Rutgers, who came in averaging 13 turnovers per game, for 60 minutes, during which Rutgers turned the ball over 21 times. Of those, there were 16 that were caused. And of those, Bath caused six by himself, setting a school single-game record in the process.

The result was a dominant 14-8 Tiger victory in the 101^st meeting between the teams. The game ended a seven-game winning streak by whoever was the home team in the series, and the win returned the Tots Meistrell Cup to Princeton.

There were, of course, offensive standouts, led by a five-point day for Coulter Mackesy, who had three goals and two assists and who moved to within two goals of reaching 100 for his career. Nate Kabiri had two more, and Colin Burns added another. Unlike most of the season, though, Princeton did not have to rely on just those three on attack.

In fact, the offensive midfield matched the attack with six as well, while Princeton also got one from face-off man Andrew McMeekin and shortstick defensive midfielder Michael Kelly, both of whom scored for the first time in his career. Princeton also had a third player score for the first time, as freshman middie Tucker Wade had a pair of goals in his first career start.

This day, though, belonged to the defense. Michael Gianforcaro made 14 saves while allowing seven goals, but who knows how many more shots he would have seen had it not been for the way the defense kept turning Rutgers over.

Bath's six were the school record, and he had four ground balls as well, but seven other players had at least one caused turnovers. Even without all the CTs, Princeton's defense shut out the Rutgers attack unit until the fourth quarter.

Princeton will open its Ivy League season this coming Sunday at home against Cornell.