When they were over, Princeton was headed to a 16-9 win over Notre Dame for the national title and the 24,000-plus in Virginia's Scott Stadium had these words: "Heeeeeyyyyyy, hey baby. I want to know if you'll be my girl" playing over and over in their heads.
TigerBlog will get back to those fireworks in a minute, because they were glorious. You can pick whatever word you want to describe it. Glorious? Perfect? Dominant? History-making?
There were different fireworks this weekend, though, a literal kind — and it's those about which TB would like to speak for a few paragraphs.
Princeton stayed at a resort in Charlottesville called the Boars Head Inn. TB gives it five stars.
As part of the regular Memorial Day weekend festivities, the hotel had fireworks planned for Sunday night. TB watched them. So did most of the team members. As they were exploding overhead, they would illuminate the players in front of TB.
For some reason, that image took TigerBlog back to a Championship Weekend long ago. It wasn't to the 2001 NCAA championship, even with the perfection of having that team on hand to be honored at halftime yesterday.
No, it was earlier than that. It was back in 1992, when Princeton won the first of its now-seven NCAA championships. Princeton defeated Syracuse 10-9 in overtime in that game at Franklin Field. Syracuse's legendary coach Roy Simmons Jr. told TB a few years later, when TB was writing about that game, that he and Princeton coach Bill Tierney had gone for a short walk together after the pre-tournament meeting and, to paraphrase Simmons, he could tell that there was magic at that moment for Princeton.
All these years later, TB finally knew what Simmons meant. Watching the players watch the fireworks, TB had that same feeling. There was magic there. In that moment, TB had only one thought: There is no way Princeton is losing tomorrow.
It didn't. Maybe it's easy to say now because of how the game played out, but it just seemed like Princeton knew it too, that those same players walked off the bus and into the lockerroom yesterday morning knowing they'd be leaving with the big trophy.
Even after Notre Dame jumped out 3-0 in the first five minutes, TB wasn't the least bit concerned. What happened next, however, not even TigerBlog expected. Enter the figurative fireworks.
In a span of 23 minutes, Princeton went 3-0 down to 11-3 up. That's a run of 11 straight goals in the NCAA final. It's not the sort of thing that happens too often. Those song lyrics? They're from the Princeton goal song that played every time the Tigers scored. It's catchy.
Chad Palumbo scored four of those 11 goals. Seven other players had one each. On the other end of the field the defense was smothering. Whatever made its way to Ryan Croddick in goal was gobbled up.
Princeton was everywhere. By halftime, the Tigers had a 29-11 edge in groundballs (and that was 20-3 in non-face-off groundballs) and a 33-15 edge in shots. Only a remarkable performance from Notre Dame goalie Thomas Ricciardelli kept it as close as it was, and even with that Princeton had more goals than it would need by the time the second quarter ended.
The second half was more than just a formality, especially against an opponent who had won two of the last three titles. Still, try as Notre Dame did, Princeton had all the answers it needed. And the hole dug by the first half fireworks was just too deep for the Irish. Cooper Mueller punctuated it with a fourth quarter goal on an assist from Croddick, who made 37 saves while allowing 16 goals in two games to become the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
Fittingly, the last time this team played together was very much like every other time it did this year. Head coach Matt Madalon talks about "taking care of our business" and says things like "all hands on deck" and "everything we do we do together" and means every word of it.
This was a group that lived out those words. Sometimes that meant making sure the bus or lockerroom was spotless — another Madalon credo is "leave it cleaner than we found it." That's a microcosm.
It's about accountability. To each other. To the program. And to themselves.
This is a team that is very much an extension of its head coach and the entire staff of Jim Mitchell, Jeremy Hirsch, Casey Dowd and Drew Cottrell. And even beyond them, to everyone who works to support the program.
Take the equipment staff of Derek Griesdorn and Brian Ackerman. There they were Sunday night, after the fireworks, using a $25 portable sewing machine they'd just bought at Walmart to repair the No. 8 jersey of freshman Parker Reynolds. The machine ran on four AA batteries.
They could have just told Reynolds that he would have to wear a different number, but they didn't want him to have to do so. Instead, they fixed it. Reynolds had three assists yesterday.
Accountability. Dedication. Loyalty. Culture. These are the themes that permeate through the Princeton men's lacrosse lockerroom. These are things that, mixed with the overwhelming talent that Madalon and his staff put together, are how championships are won.
And so it was yesterday.
As the final seconds ticked away, TigerBlog watched from the Princeton sideline as the players erupted out on the field in celebration. They'd earned it. They deserved it.
TB has seen seven such NCAA championship teams at Princeton now. He used to wonder if he'd ever see another one as those 25 years went by between the last one and now this one.
He knew Sunday night that he would.
There was, clearly, magic there with these Princeton Tigers.
Excellent piece, as always. TigerBlog is the best.
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