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Syracuse entered the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s game tied with No. 3 Notre Dame. A 5-1 run in the second quarter, spurred on by two straight penalties called on the Fighting Irish, put the Orange in prime position to take down Notre Dame and earn their first ranked win of the season. But the defense wore out in the fourth quarter and Syracuse only won 2-of-11 faceoffs, allowing the Fighting Irish to storm back in the final frame to score nine unanswered goals.

Now, Syracuse heads to New Jersey to take on Princeton, reviving a series that dates back to 1922. The Tigers are coming into Saturday’s matchup hot off of two straight Ivy League wins, combining for 39 goals against Brown and Yale while improving to 4-4 on the season and jumping up to No. 14 in the latest Inside Lacrosse rankings.

Here’s everything else you need to know about Princeton (4-4, 2-1 Ivy League) before it takes on Syracuse.

All-time series

Syracuse leads 20-9.

Last time they played

Syracuse traveled to New Jersey in 2013 in the midst of what would end up becoming a season that brought them all the way to the NCAA Championship. In a low-scoring affair, Syracuse edged the Tigers 13-12 after three SU goals in the closing minutes. Junior Billy Ward found the back of the net with just 5:28 remaining in the game to bring Syracuse within one. Then Henry Schoonmaker notched his fourth goal of the game to tie it and JoJo Marasco’s game-winning goal lifted Syracuse to 7-2 on the season with 2:32 remaining in the game.

Syracuse entered halftime tied 5-5 with Princeton. Goalie Dominic Lamolinara had nine of his 14 saves in the first half, though the Orange already had eight turnovers and were picking up fewer ground balls than the Tigers. Going into the final quarter of play, Syracuse rattled off six goals in the final quarter to beat the Tigers. Princeton went on to hold a 9-6 season record before losing in the second round of the Ivy League Tournament.

The Tigers report

Princeton is rebounding from the loss of nine seniors who entered the transfer portal. Despite the overhaul, head coach Matt Madalon, who said he was aware the mass exodus was coming due to the university’s strict eight semester rule, retooled and put together the 18th-best scoring offense in the country. Led by sophomore attack Coulter Mackesy, the Tigers average nearly 14 goals per game and have surpassed the 20-goal mark twice this season.

Though it ranks 52nd in the country in faceoff percentage, Princeton’s trio of goalies have combined this season for a 57% save percentage. No opponent has scored more than 12 goals against the Tigers this season, and Georgetown and Maryland combined to notch just 23 goals against a defense led by a talented group of upperclassmen. Syracuse’s offense is going to have a difficult time getting close to the cage and will have an even harder time against Princeton’s three attacks that each have at least 20 points this season.

How Syracuse beats Princeton

If Syracuse wants to nab its first win against a ranked opponent this season, it’s going to have to perform much better at the faceoff X and on defense. Nearly each game against a ranked team has gone a similar way, with the Orange holding a lead late in the game and their team ultimately faltering. That was evident at the faceoff X on Saturday, where Syracuse won just 2-of-11, and with Saam Olexo saying after the game that the reason they lost was because the Orange “played a lot of defense.”

Notre Dame’s defense stifled Syracuse, especially Joey Spallina. Against the Tigers, Syracuse needs to get Spallina going early to lead a diverse scoring attack — something it wasn’t able to do aside from a 5-1 run in the second period against the Fighting Irish. A more complete game starts at the faceoff X and ends with a more convincing defensive performance late in the game if Syracuse wants to take down Princeton.

Stat to know: 8.88

Princeton averages 8.88 assists per game this season, tied for the fifth-best mark in the country. The Tigers are going to mix up their formations against Syracuse and attempt to catch Will Mark slow on his feet and the defense out of position. Numerous times against the Fighting Irish, Syracuse’s defense looked clueless against the ND offense and allowed nine unanswered goals. The Tigers can use a similar pass first offense to open up more scoring chances and build leads early in the game.

Player to watch: Coulter Mackesy, attack, No. 91

Mackesy, one of the best sophomores in the country, is on a tear this season. With 30 goals and 11 assists, he’s totalled a team-high 41 points through eight games. He’s the focal point of Princeton’s offense and has 48 shots on goal with a 57.8% success rate. Syracuse is going to struggle guarding him on Saturday. If Mackesy plays further outside, he should be able to flash his dynamic scoring ability and lead the Tigers.

Published on April 6, 2023 at 12:25 am

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt