Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Syracuse
No. 7 Princeton Hosts No. 6 Syracuse In ACC/Ivy Challenge Day 1
February 26, 2026 | Men's Lacrosse
No. 7 PRINCETON (1-1)
vs.
No. 6 SYRACUSE (3-1)
Friday, Feb. 27 • 4 pm
Sherrerd Field • Princeton, N.J.
ESPN+
Series History - Syracuse Leads 22-9
Last Meeting - Syracuse defeated Princeton 19-18 in the NCAA quarterfinals • May 17, 2025
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A – ACC/Ivy League Challenge
The 2026 edition of the ACC/Ivy League Challenge features two major changes from the first two. First, the games will be played at Princeton and Penn, instead of on the ACC campuses. Second, Syracuse is replacing Duke, joining North Carolina as the other ACC team. Princeton is 3-1 in ACC/Ivy League Challenge games the last two years, beating North Carolina and losing to Duke in 2024 and sweeping the two a year ago. Princeton will host No.1 North Carolina Sunday at noon, while Syracuse will be at Penn.
B – Big Numbers
Princeton and Syracuse combined for 37 goals, 93 shots and 63 shots on goal in the Orange’s 19-18 win in last year’s NCAA quarterfinal game at Hofstra. There were at least seven goals scored in each quarter, with 11 in the first quarter alone.
C – Chad
Chad Palumbo scored six goals on six shots (with two assists) in the NCAA quarterfinal loss to Syracuse last year, despite partially tearing his PCL and spraining his MCL on the first of those goals and then requiring six months before he was fully healed.
D – Depth
Princeton has not had a player score more than two goals in either of its first two games, but it has seven players who have had two against either Penn State or Maryland. Chad Palumbo, Colin Burns and Peter Buonanno are tied for the team lead — with three each.
E – Exactly
Princeton has allowed 25 goals in its first two games. Of those 25, 17 have come in the first 10 minutes or last eight minutes of those games, while eight have come in the 42 minutes in between.
F – Face-Offs
Syracuse’s John Mullen has won 60 percent of his face-offs this season after being a second-team All-American last year. Andrew McMeekin went 20 for 36 against Syracuse in the 2025 NCAA quarterfinal game. Both Mullen and McMeekin hold their program single-season record for groundballs.
G – Groundballs
Princeton defeated Maryland this past Saturday 13-12 despite a 34-18 disadvantage in groundballs. Since Matt Madalon became Tiger head coach in 2016, Princeton has played 11 games in which it has had a deficit of at least 16 groundballs and is now 3-8 in those games. The other two wins came against Harvard (-18) in 2019 and Monmouth (-17) in 2018.
H – Hot
Princeton is 45-21 dating to the start of the 2022 season. Princeton is 26-10 dating to the start of the 2024 season.
I – Ivy League
The Ivy League went 7-0 in games last week, with wins over then-No. 1 Syracuse (by Harvard) and then-No. 2 Maryland (by Princeton).
J – JG
Jackson Green, a shortstick defensive midfielder, is also a wide receiver on Princeton’s football team, where he caught 17 passes for 233 yards and three TDs. He is the first Princeton player since Rob Bordley ’70 to have at least one goal in lacrosse and one touchdown in football for Princeton.
K – Keep Taking Away
Princeton ranks first in the Ivy League and sixth in Division I in caused turnovers per game (11.0).
L – Leaders
Colin Burns is one of Princeton’s three captains, along with Cooper Kistler and Chad Palumbo. Burns is Princeton’s eighth junior captain in the last 25 years, along with George Baughan, Michael Sowers, Bear Goldstein, Tom Schreiber, John Cunningham, Jason Doneger and Ryan Boyle.
M – May
Princeton has played in each of the last four NCAA tournaments, with one Final Four and one quarterfinal appearance. Princeton has also won two of the last three Ivy League tournaments and reached the final of the other.
N – NCAA History
Princeton and Syracuse have played in four NCAA championship games, splitting them. Princeton won 10-9 in overtime in both 1992 and 2001, and Syracuse won 13-7 in 2000 and 13-12 in 2002. Between 1992 and 2004, Princeton was 21-0 against all other teams and 4-6 against Syracuse in the NCAA tournament while winning six NCAA titles. Syracuse leads the all-time series 22-9.
O – Offense
Nate Kabiri is Princeton’s current leader in career points with 122 (66G, 56A). Kabiri is also the first Princeton player to have at least 30 goals and at least 25 assists as a freshman and sophomore. Chad Palumbo (89) and Colin Burns (85) are closing in on 100 career points. Should they get there, they would be the 39th and 40th Princeton players to reach the milestone.
P – Position Switches
Chad Palumbo and Peter Buonanno changed positions from the opener against Penn State to the second game against Maryland, with Palumbo’s going from midfield to attack and Buonanno’s going from attack to midfield. Palumbo was the preseason Division I Midfielder of the Year from USA Lacrosse Magazine. Buonanno was the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year last year as a middie. On the other end of the field, Jack Stahl and Cooper Kistler switched spots, as Stahl became a starting defenseman and Kistler the top LSM, flipping their roles from a week earlier.
Q – Quite A Stat
Matt Madalon has a theory that a team should win the overwhelming amount of time when its face-off percentage and save percentage added together exceeds 1.000. In his career as Tiger head coach, his team has had 67 games in which its FO percentage added to its save percentage is greater than 1.000; it’s record in those games is 58-9.
R – Reynolds
Freshman Parker Reynolds had the first two goals of his career last week against Maryland.
S – Shooting Percentage
Princeton ranks second in the Ivy League and 10th in Division I in team shooting percentage (.357).
T – Tewaaraton
Princeton has two players on the Tewaaraton preseason watchlist: goalie Ryan Croddick and midfielder (now attackman) Chad Palumbo.
U – Unique
The 2026 season marks the 25th anniversary of Princeton’s sixth NCAA championship. Princeton’s NCAA titles have come in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2001 — no school has won three straight since the Tigers from 1996-98.
V – Vana
Jake Vana had his first career multi-goal game in the win over Maryland, including what proved to be the winning 13th goal. Vana, a sophomore, had one goal and one assist as a freshman.
W – Wade
Tucker Wade scored the first Princeton goal against Penn State and has now scored Princeton’s first goal in eight of the last 19 games. Wade, a junior, became Princeton’s first sophomore midfielder to be first-team All-Ivy since Tom Schreiber in 2012.
X – Face-Off X
Andrew McMeekin is the only Princeton player with at least two seasons of at least 100 groundballs.
Y – Yearly
Colin Burns and Nate Kabiri are in Year 6 of playing together, between club ball, Georgetown Prep and now Princeton. Burns and Kabiri are the only two current Princeton players who have started every game of their careers.
Z – Zinger
Princeton has three players whose fathers competed at Princeton, two of whom played lacrosse. Sophomore Kevin Morrow is the son of David Morrow, the 1993 Division I Player of the Year. Sophomore Porter Malkiel is the son of Jon Malkiel, a member of the 1992 and 1994 NCAA teams. Junior Cooper Mueller is the son of Kit Mueller, the 1990 and 1991 Ivy League men’s basketball Player of the Year.
