SHINING STAR: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Colin Mulshine, right, clamps down on a Rutgers player last Saturday night. Senior defender Mulshine helped Princeton stifle the Scarlet Knights as the Tigers prevailed 11-5 to earn the Harland (Tots) Meistrell Cup. The Tigers, now 4-1 and ranked No. 2 by Inside Lacrosse, play at No. 6 Cornell (4-1) on March 15 in the Ivy League opener for both squads. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)

By Bill Alden

Colin Mulshine likes the way the defensive unit for the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team has come together over the first month of the season.

“This is the closest group I have been a part of throughout my years,” said Princeton senior star defender Mulshine. “We are just looking to keep that going and grow even stronger. We are a lot more connected. We are starting to play as a unit, we talk about that all of the time.”

Last Saturday as Princeton hosted Rutgers in the battle for the Harland (Tots) Meistrell Cup that goes to the winner of the annual clash between the local rivals, the defensive unit had to hold things together for the Tigers found themselves under the gun in the first half. Over the first 30 minutes of the contest, the Scarlet Knights outshot the Tigers 32-18 and built a solid edge in ground balls (21-12) and face-offs (10-1).

“They did a really nice job on the ride forcing a lot of turnovers on our clear,” said Mulshine, a 6’3, 225-pound native of Riverside, Conn., who earned first-team All-Ivy League honors last spring. “We weren’t really expecting them to press us like that. They created some turnovers but we adjusted. We figured it out.”

Tiger junior goalie Ryan Croddick did a great job as the last line of defense, making 17 saves in the first half.

“He is our guy, he is a brick wall, he was gobbling everything up,” said Mulshine of Croddick. “As a defense, they were taking the shots that we wanted them to take and give Croddick some good shots that he could gobble up.”

The Tigers went on to a 11-5 win before a crowd of 1,536 braving a chilly night at Class of 1952 Stadium as they improved to 4-1.

“This is a trophy game, we are playing for the Meistrell Cup,” said Croddick of the hardware which is named for Harland (Tots) Meistrell Cup who restarted lacrosse at both schools in 1920 (Rutgers) and 1921 (Princeton), after both had dropped their teams in the late 1800s. “This is a big X on the calendar; it is an in-state rivalry too. It is an awesome win to get.”

Over the years, Mulshine has developed an awesome connection with fellow senior and star defender Michael Bath.

“We are great friends on and off the field,” said Mushine. “That is what creates the chemistry you see between us.”

As Mulshine heads into the homestretch of his Tiger career, he is feeling a great sense of urgency.

“There are a lot of lasts,” said Mulshine. “This is the last game with Rutgers, it was the last UNC trip last weekend. I am just trying to take it all in.”

With Princeton having posted a pair of Top-10 wins a week earlier by topping Duke 15-14 and North Carolina 14-12, Mulshine is hoping for a second trip to the NCAA Final 4.

“Last weekend’s two wins gave us a lot of confidence, it was a couple of juice wins,” said Mulshine, who helped the Tigers reach the NCAA semis in 2023. “To get two in a row against top-10 teams was huge for our confidence and it showed today. Our offense really got going last weekend, they have been on fire. We are trying to take it week by week here.”

Princeton head coach Matt Madalon credited the Tiger defense with holding the fort in the first half against a feisty Rutgers squad.

“I think we might have played 27 of 30 minutes of defense in the first half,” said Madalon. “We played primarily man-to-man today. That was tough, our guys were holding the rope as best they could.”

The pair of Mulshine and Bath help make the Princeton defense very tough.

“Those are our fearless leaders down there; Bath is a captain, Mul has started every game and taken on the toughest matchups since he got here,” said Madalon. “With the experience those guys have, we are going to have to lean on them a lot. Mulshine, Jack Stahl, and Bath have played together for a couple of months so hopefully they have some consistent chemistry down there.”

Goalie Croddick, a former Hun School standout, has displayed consistent brilliance in his first season as a starter.

“Croddick back-stopped us; he has been making saves on this field for years, he was just behind [Michael] Gianforcaro,” said Madalon of Croddick who totaled 24 saves on the night to tie the stadium record for a single game and was lated named the Ivy Defensive Player of the Week. “Coming into the offseason we knew he was going to be our guy. He has done everything he needed to do to put himself in that position and now he is performing and is doing a really good job.”

The one-two attack punch of senior star Coulter Mackesy and sophomore standout Nate Kabiri did really well on Saturday as Mackesy tallied four goals and an assist while Kabiri chipped in three goals.

“Those are guys who are always such premier players,” said Madalon. “Kab and Mackesy are two bona fide guys who are doing a good job. Tucker Wade made a nice individual effort, John Dunphey was creating some opportunities.”

The Tigers relish the opportunity to play for the Meistrell Cup.“It is hard to get, it is the state championship,” said Madalon. “Rutgers is no joke, this is an absolute battle of a game. We are honored to be able win that Cup and hold it in-house.”

While the win over Rutgers was heartening, Madalon believes the Tigers are just scratching the surface.

“I am happy that we can still get a heck of a lot better,” said Madalon, whose team is now ranked No. 2 by Inside Lacrosse and plays at No. 6 Cornell (4-1) on March 15 in the Ivy League opener for both squads. “We just have to keep working.”

Mulshine, for his part, is hoping for a good result in the clash against Cornell.

“I have never been part of a team that beat Cornell, so this is a huge game coming up,” said Mulshine.