Mackesy, Defense Lead Princeton Past Dartmouth 15-5

Saturday, March 30

Princeton, N.J.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

6-3, 2-1

Dartmouth

3-6, 0-2

Dartmouth

Princeton

Colin Freer defends against Colin McGill in Princeton's 15-5 win over Dartmouth.

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Mackesy, Defense Lead Princeton Past Dartmouth 15-5

March 30, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

Dartmouth had the nicest goal of the day. Princeton had the most. In the end, that's what matters.

Coulter Mackesy scored four goals and Princeton's defense threw a blanket on Dartmouth for a 37:03 scoreless stretch from the second quarter into the fourth as the Tigers defeated the Big Green 15-5 Saturday afternoon in front of 1,326 at Sherrerd Field. Princeton goalie Michael Gianforcaro made 14 saves while allowing only two goals on the day, while Mason Morel made 21 saves for Dartmouth.

Bill Tierney, the Tigers' Hall-of-Fame coach who won six NCAA titles at Princeton and another at Denver, was honored at halftime as the head coaching position at Princeton is now officially "The William G. Tierney P'01, P'02 Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse."

It took nearly 11 minutes for either team to score, when Mackesy got his first of the day. The lead grew to 3-0 Tigers at the end of the first with goals by freshmen Nate Kabiri and Colin Burns, and then Dartmouth got on the board with an unbelievable individual effort from Colin McGill, who caused a turnover in front of the Princeton goal and then, controlling the ball with one hand, spun around and tucked it into the cage. The shot drew ooohs from the fans wearing green and orange and black.

The 17 minute scoreless stretch to start the game by the Tiger defense wasn't even half as long as the next one. The game was 4-2 when Nate Davis scored with 10:42 left in the half, but it would be the fourth quarter before the Green scored again. By that time, Princeton had scored 11 straight to build a 15-2 lead.

Mackesy's four goals made him the only Tiger with more than two, which Kabiri, Burns and classmate Tucker Wade all had. Burns also had two assists.

Andrew McMeekin won 11 of 18 face-offs and scored a goal for the fourth straight week while also picking up nine ground balls. The other Tiger goals came from Sean Cameron, Tommy Barnds, Quinn Krammer and Lukas Stanat, who also had two assists.

Princeton, now 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the Ivy League, is back at it Tuesday night at 7 on Sherrerd Field against Lehigh in the final non-league game of the season.