Gianforcaro's Stunning Goal Highlights Princeton's 15-10 Win Over Penn

Saturday, April 20

Princeton, N.J.

5:00 PM

Princeton University

8-4, 3-2

Penn

8-5, 4-2

Penn

Princeton

Michael Gianforcaro celebrates his goal in Princeton's 15-10 win over Penn.

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Gianforcaro's Stunning Goal Highlights Princeton's 15-10 Win Over Penn

April 20, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

It was around the time that Michael Gianforcaro accelerated just above the Penn restraining line that it became apparent that a routine clear was about to become something bigger. Much bigger. He knew it. The crowd of 2,966 at Sherrerd Field knew it.

Gianforcaro, Princeton's senior goalie, did what he usually does, which is to say he made 15 saves against the Quakers. He also did what he'd never done before, and that was to score a goal on an exhilarating end-to-end rush, backhanding it into the Penn goal to seal a 15-10 win that the Tigers desperately needed.

The victory improved Princeton to 8-4 overall and 3-2 in the Ivy League and came seven days after an excruciating loss at Brown. Princeton is now in position to clinch a spot in the Ivy League tournament next weekend with either a win at Yale or a Harvard win over Brown.

Gianforcaro's goal was the first by a Princeton goalie since Alex Hewit against Brown in 2008.

3:46 Q4 ¦ BACKHANDED GOALIE GOAL ON SENIOR DAY FOR MIKEY G OH MY GOODNESS@SPORTSCETNER #SCTOP10 pic.twitter.com/d0spQa8PSU
— Princeton Men's Lacrosse (@TigerLacrosse) April 20, 2024

The win came on Senior Day and denied Penn at least a share of the Ivy League championship. The Tigers got big production from seniors all day, including Lukas Stanat, who had two goals for the year and then two more against Penn, and Tommy Barnds, who had his second straight two-goal game.

It was Gianforcaro, though, who had the monster day. His 15 saves and 10 goals-against gave him a career .635 save percentage against the Quakers, but it was his goal that was the most stunning moment of the game.

It came 30 seconds after a Penn goal, one that made a 3-1 Quaker run and made it a three-goal game with 4:16 to go in the fourth. If Penn could get another score, things could have gotten dicey.

Instead, Andrew McMeekin (more on him in a minute) won a face-off that Cooper Kistler picked up in Princeton's defensive end, and Kistler then flipped it to his goalie. Rather than look for the outlet, Gianforcaro ran it across midfield, split two defenders, gained speed as he closed in on the cage and then shoveled it into the goal as his teammates and the Princeton crowd erupted.

The game began as a fierce defensive matchup, as Princeton forced two shot clock violations and would have had a third had Michael Kelly not forced a turnover with two seconds remaining on the timer, while Penn got save after save from Emmet Carroll, who made six first quarter saves and 12 of his 17 saves in the first half.

11:59 Q2 ¦ Meeks answers in FOUR SECONDS ??????

Tigers up 1. pic.twitter.com/bBswWIyw2I
— Princeton Men's Lacrosse (@TigerLacrosse) April 20, 2024

Neither team scored until Colin Burns put Princeton up 1-0 after 10:01 had been played. It was 3-2 by the end of the first quarter and 3-3 early in the second before Princeton scored the next five. The first in that run came from McMeekin, who answered Penn's third goal with a face-off win and score four seconds later. He also scored another on that run, giving him seven goals in the last seven games (he also was 16 for 27 with eight ground balls facing off).

Princeton got two goals and three assists from Nate Kabiri and two goals and one assist from both Barnds and Coulter Mackesy.