Vana, Croddick Push No. 3 Princeton Past Yale 11-10

Saturday, March 14

New Haven, Conn.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

5-1, 1-0

Yale

3-3, 0-1

Princeton

Yale

Jake Vana celebrates one of his three goals in the win over Yale.

Photo by: Camryn Ley

Vana, Croddick Push No. 3 Princeton Past Yale 11-10

March 14, 2026 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

Ryan Croddick did what he always does. Jake Vana did what he's never done before. Together, they made sure that No. 3 Princeton opened its Ivy League season with a W. A hard-fought W, but a W nonetheless.

Croddick made two seemingly miraculous point-blank saves and Vana had his first career three-goal game to lead Princeton past Yale 11-10 in windy New Haven Saturday. The win was Princeton's fifth straight after an opening day loss and came on the first weekend of Ivy League games.

Face-off man Andrew McMeekin had six groundballs, giving him 332 for his career and breaking the school record set 34 years ago by Greg Waller.

Princeton got five goals from its second midfield, as Porter Malkiel also had two.

Vana, a sophomore, came into the game with three goals for his career and two goals this season, both of which came in Week 2 against Maryland. He scored his first Saturday during a four-goal Tiger run after Yale had jumped out 1-0, and Princeton would never trail again after that.

The lead grew to 8-4 at halftime on Vana's most spectacular goal, which came after he scooped up a loose ball and just beat the first half buzzer, scoring with 0.3 seconds on the clock. It became 9-4 on the first possession of the second half on a goal by Nate Kabiri, who had two-goal, three-assist afternoon.

OUF. JAKE. VANA. pic.twitter.com/wJBFhejHyJ
— Princeton Men's Lacrosse (@TigerLacrosse) March 14, 2026

Yale rallied, though, scoring four straight to make it a 9-8 game early in the fourth. It would have been tied, had Croddick not made the first of his two thefts on the doorstep. Vana answered the eighth Yale goal with his third, making it 10-8, only to have Yale score again, putting it back to one goal.

Once again it would have been tied, but once again Croddick stood on his head with 4:09 left, this time against Peter Moynahan. Peter Buonanno scored into an empty net as Yale came out to chase with 48 seconds left, and then Russ Fitzgerald won the face-off with seven seconds left after Yale made it a one-goal game.