FOX TROT: Princeton University men’s lacrosse players Chad Palumbo (No. 10), Colin Burns (No. 0) and John Dunphey, right, celebrate Palumbo’s goal that gave Princeton a 9-4 lead against Marist last Sunday in the first round of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament. The top-seeded Tigers rolled to a 17-8 win over the Red Foxes as they improved to 14-2. Princeton will now face eighth-seeded Penn State (10-5) in a quarterfinal contest on May 17 at Newark, Del., looking to avenge an opening day 13-7 loss to the Nittany Lions. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Hosting a feisty, upset-minded Marist squad in the first round of the NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament last Sunday, top-seeded and high-powered Princeton sputtered a bit in the early going.
“We came out a little sluggish, it was 8-4 at half and they were pushing us to the brink,” said Princeton head coach Matt Madalon, whose team jumped out to a 6-2 lead but then struggled in a 2-2 second quarter. “They did a really good job executing their game plan. In the first half, we had five shot backups we missed and one goalie pickoff.”
Senior attacker and co-captain Chad Palumbo acknowledged that the Tigers needed to execute better in the second half.
“We are always trying to hit the gas and play our best 60, we just settled,” said Palumbo. “It came down to shot selection for us. We were settling for shots that weren’t necessarily bad takes, we know we could have gotten better takes. That was the key for us in the second half. We were more patient, shared the rock a little more, and got bigger breakdowns.”
The Tigers got up to speed after the break, starting the second half with a 9-0 run and never looked back on the way to a 17-8 win over the Red Foxes. Princeton, now 14-2, will face eighth-seeded Penn State in a quarterfinal contest on May 17 in Newark, Del., looking to avenge an opening day 13-7 loss to the Nittany Lions on February 14.
The attack’s skill and unselfish play was reflected in the stat sheet Sunday as Palumbo tallied six goals and one assist in the win with Nate Kabiri chipping in three goals and five assists, Colin Burns contributing three goals and two assists, Tucker Wade scoring two goals, and John Dunphey adding one goal and three assists.
“We love our offense, we always take a lot of pride in scoring goals here and moving the ball,” said Madalon. “Guys were playing very unselfish. I think that is where I am most happy offensively is that throughout the year we have learned to win differently and with different guys. If one of the guys has an off day, you have other guys to lean on. That is where we find comfort.”
While Palumbo has developed a comfort level with the whole offensive group, he has a special bond with Kabiri.
“We try to be a cohesive unit, we pride ourselves offensively on being really deep,” said Palumbo. “We think we have not just the starting six but we have the next six. Kab and I just try to talk lacrosse as much as possible and just be on the same page.”
The Tiger seniors were proud to earn an NCAA tournament win in their final appearance at Class of 1952 Stadium.
“This field means a lot to all of the seniors, for this team, this is our home base,” added Palumbo. “It was definitely a little emotional to be on this field for the last time but we have a lot to look forward to. We have a week ahead that we get to practice here every single day.”
With Princeton having won nine straight games and 13 of their last 14, Palumbo believes the squad is peaking at the right time.
“We have just tried to get better every single week and every week,” said Palumbo. “A lot of it is just trying to get better and more cohesive between the lines. We have gotten a lot better throughout the season. I think the team we are going to be next weekend is different that the team that you saw today.”
Senior goalie Croddick, who made 14 saves in the win, liked the cohesion displayed at the defensive end.
“I think in the first half we were just holding the rope hoping the offense would get going,” said Croddick, a former Hun School standout. “Eventually they came out really hot in the second half. Regardless of the opponent, we are just trying to play really physical and not sit back at all. We came out with that mindset.”
While Croddick enjoyed watching the offense go on a roll in the second half, he knew the defense couldn’t relax.
“It is really exciting and fun but we just know that we have to do our job,” said Croddick. “The ball is eventually going to come back to our end. It is stay ready.”
Madalon credited the Tiger defense with tightening up in the second half as it held the Red Foxes scoreless until 10:01 left in the fourth quarter.
“I think coach [Jeremy] Hirsch is doing a good job of moving guys around,” said Madalon. “I think in the second half we tried to two-pole up a little more and get some of the poles in the midfielders. No. 34 (Drew Anderson) was generating too many shots against us so we had to get a pole up on him.”
The Tigers are fired up for the rematch with Penn State.
“We are a long way from there,” said Croddick. “We have done a lot offensively and defensively, just growing our game and getting better each week. We are just looking forward to avenging our loss.”
Palumbo, for his part, believes that Princeton will make the most of their chance to avenge that defeat.
“That opener was definitely embarrassing,” said Palumbo. “That is something that kick-started our season, it kicked us in the butt a little bit.
We are just excited to get another shot.”
In Madalon’s view, his squad will need to be at its best to keep its season going into the Final 4 over Memorial Day weekend.
“I am not so much looking back at the first game, that was so long ago,” said Madalon. “It is nice to get a rematch and avenge a loss for sure. We just have to keep working and playing. As far as Penn State, they are always one of the best-coached teams in the country. They have been in a handful of Final 4s in the last few years. They know how to win in the NCAAs so it will be really competitive group. It will be a tough game.”