A Wire-To-Wire Team Effort

There were two mantras for the Princeton men's lacrosse team as it readied for its game Saturday afternoon against Penn.

First: "Not on our field." A Penn win would mean an Ivy League championship for the Quakers, and there was nobody at all on Princeton's team who wanted to see that celebrated all over Sherrerd Field.

The second: "Play hard." Whatever you did, do it full speed. Whatever problem came up, just play through it with everything you had.

Because of the latter, you saw plays like when Chad Palumbo dove fully extended to prevent a ball from reaching the midline. Or like when John Dunphey managed to stop another loose ball just before it got to the sideline and then had the presence of mind to reestablish himself in the field before he touched after his momentum took his out of a bounds. 

Or there was Andrew McMeekin, who ripped two more goals after face-off wins but who also spent the day keeping loose balls alive for teammates like Liam Fairback and Marquez White to snag off the wings on those face-offs. As a result, he won 16 of 27 face-offs while picking up a ground ball on only half of them.

These were just a few examples. Wherever you looked, a Princeton player was going 100 percent, especially shortstick defensive midfielders Fairback, White, Michael Kelly and Cooper Mueller, who between them had six of Princeton's eight caused turnovers.

And so yes, the lingering image from the game will be the stunning end-to-end run and backhanded shot for a score by Princeton goalie Michael Gianforcaro in the fourth quarter. It was a hustle play to be sure, but it was more than anything just an incredible individual effort — not to mention the first goal by a Tiger goalie since Alex Hewit in 2008.

That goal aside, this was not a day for individual efforts. This was a wire-to-wire team win.

Because of the latter mantra, the former also came through. The final was 15-10 Princeton in a game the Tigers never trailed and led for the final 42 minutes, and there would be no Ivy title celebration for the Quakers afterwards.

The game, which packed nearly 3,000 into the Sherrerd Field stands, was a huge one for Princeton, and not just because of the Ivy League race. It came seven days after a crushing loss at Brown, one that revitalized the Bears' season and threatened to derail Princeton's. 

For one week, the tempo, tone and intensity of practice amped up. This wasn't going to be as much about matchups, offensive sets or even the clearing game. Those mattered, but not as much as effort. 

It was the last thing Princeton heard as it left its team room prior to the game. It's something the team gave all game.

Brown had been 1-9 overall and 0-3 in the Ivy League before the game against Princeton. A win by the Tigers would have clinched an Ivy League tournament spot. Instead, Brown went up 6-0 and never trailed, even after it was tied twice.

Princeton suddenly was in all kinds of trouble in the league tournament race, and with two teams who had already clinched their spots and were thinking league title left on the schedule. With the win against Penn achieved, that leaves a game at Yale this coming Saturday at noon.

Harvard was eliminated with its loss to Cornell, who clinched the third of the four ILT spots. Brown stayed alive by beating already eliminated Dartmouth 14-11. 

Entering the final weekend of the regular season, a Princeton win over Yale would give the Tigers the fourth spot in the field and possibly a seed as high as No. 2. If Yale wins, it would clinch at least a share of the championship (so would Cornell, and the host role, with a win over Dartmouth). 

On the other hand, a Princeton loss and a Brown win over Harvard eliminates the Tigers and puts Brown in the ILT. It would be an amazing accomplishment for Brown, one that the Tigers hope not to see.

For Princeton, there was no going back in time to the fourth quarter that got away in Providence. The only way was forward, and Princeton slammed ahead with its best, most complete performance of the season.

Now it needs another one in New Haven, or it will be forced to get some help from Harvard (that game starts at 3:30).

The formula for success isn't tricky. 

Play hard. For 60 minutes. 

This past Saturday on Sherrerd Field, it was a beautiful sight to see.