SEMI TOUGH: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Tucker Wade controls the ball against Marist in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Last Sunday, junior midfielder Wade scored four goals to help top-seeded Princeton defeat eighth-seeded Penn State 14-10 in the NCAA quarterfinals at Newark, Del. The Tigers, now 15-2, will face Duke (11-4) in the NCAA semis on May 23 in Charlottesville, Va., with the victor advancing to the final on Memorial Day against the winner of the other semi which pits Notre Dame against Syracuse. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Opening its 2026 season on Valentine’s Day, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team got jilted as it fell 13-7 to Penn State.
Last Sunday, top-seeded Princeton got the chance to dump eighth-seeded Penn State out the NCAA tournament as the foes met in a quarterfinal clash in Newark, Del.
Coming into round two with the Nittany Lions, Princeton was more focused on execution than settling a score.
“We were not great in the first game; it wasn’t about a revenge game,” said Princeton head coach Matt Madalon. “It was two months ago, that was so, so long ago. It was about looking at their last handful of games and their body of work. It was seeing how well they were playing offensively, how efficient they are, how good of a shooting team they are and how good they are defensively. They have their two faceoff guys. There was a heck of a lot to prepare for.”
With the on-field temperature soaring to a sweltering 112 degrees, the Tigers came out a little cold, misfiring on a number of shots as the teams battled to a 6-6 stalemate at intermission.
“I wish some of those would have fallen, I think it would have given us a little breathing room,” said Madalon. “Penn State was just executing, they were doing a really good job. They were efficient early on offensively. Coming out of the half, we thought some of the goals we had given up we might be able to prevent and it was just try to get going offensively.”
Trailing 10-9 early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers got going, reeling off five unanswered goals on the way to a 14-10 win.
“I think just a couple of really great individual efforts from Jackson Green, Quinn Krammer, and Andrew McMeekin that gave us a great little spark to get a little confidence and step in and hit a couple of late shots,” said Madalon. “I am really glad that we made some plays down the stretch.”
Princeton, now 15-2, will face Duke (11-4) in the NCAA semis on May 23 in Charlottesville, Va., with the victor advancing to the final on Memorial Day against the winner of the other semi, which pits Notre Dame against Syracuse.
Junior short stick midfielder Green was confident that Princeton would come through down the stretch against the Nittany Lions.
“We knew it was going to be a battle and a long game,” said Green. “It is hot out and bodies are hurting throughout the season. It is just a war of attrition and who is going to make plays on any given day. We knew we were going to come to play.”
Green made a key play when he caused a turnover that led to Krammer’s goal which tied the game at 10-10.
“I started the 5-0 run; I throw the ball away before that and I had to make up for it,” said Green, who also stars a receiver for the Princeton football team and had three caused turnovers on the day. “There was long possession for them and I wanted to stay on the field because I knew I could make a play at that time.”
Princeton went up 12-10 with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter as McMeekin won a faceoff and raced to goal and buried a blast into the back of the net.
“It was a turning point,” said Madalon of McMeekin’s tally. “We didn’t have to work the six on six offense, it was a great spark for our guys.”
McMeekin, for his part, was ready to battle Penn State’s 1-2 combination of Colby Baldwin and Reid Gills at the face-off X.
“I was just trying to execute to the best of my ability,” said McMeekin, who won 19 of 26 faceoffs and scooped up 12 ground balls. “We knew it was going to be a hard game going into it, but we like our guys and we think we can hang with anyone.”
Junior midfielder Wade scored a game-high four goals to keep Princeton hanging in there as Penn State had the upper hand in stretches of the contest.
“We think he is one of the top guys,” said Madalon of Wade, who now has 35 goals and seven assists this season. “He is a tough cover, he is strong, he is fundamental. He gets to his spots, he gets his shots on cage. He really put them away, he put them in some great spots. He had an outstanding day. For Tucker to beat them, he had to beat them with great shots.”
Wade believed that the high-powered and balanced Tiger offense would eventually wear down the Nittany Lions.
“We just relied on each other to keep to the process,” said Wade.
“It is a long season. We have been in these type of games a long time. It is not the first one and it won’t be the last one I’m happy to say.”
Madalon credited the Tiger defense with sticking to its process as well.
“I think those guys all year continue to learn as the game goes on to figure out their matchups,” said Madalon. “[Hunter] Aquino going out bumped down the line a little bit. I think that helped us a little bit too. It was good down the stretch.”
Returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 is a very good achievement for the Tigers.
“Any time those guys get to keep playing and working is great and now you get to go down and have a really cool experience playing in front of some bigger crowds,” said Madalon, whose team has now won 10 straight games. “It is just a really cool weekend for the sport and just thrilled to be a part of it.”
Utilizing the experience gained from guiding Princeton to championship weekend four years ago, Madalon will look to keep his players concentrating on the task at hand and not the hoopla surrounding the Final Four.
“It is a lot of hustle and bustle, we will try to keep our guys really focused,” said Madalon. “We are just going to work through this week and be as prepared as possible.”
The Tigers will need to be totally focused to overcome a surging Duke team that routed Georgetown 16-6 in its quarterfinal matchup and has won three straight games.
“They are a super athletic team, they are always well-coached,” said Madalon. “They have a lot of top prospects. They are a very, very tough team to play. We are going to get a good game plan in during the week and just make sure that our guys are healthy and ready to go.”