Princeton wins – Princeton turned a competitive start into a decisive rout, firing an 11-goal run highlighted by an 8-0 second period to beat Notre Dame 16-9 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Tigers claimed their seventh championship in program history and fir
For one quarter, the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship game looked like it might hold steady—until Princeton flipped the script.
The second quarter belonged to the Tigers. They put together an 11-goal run, including an 8-0 whitewashing of Notre Dame in the second period, and then coasted to a 16-9 victory at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Princeton entered the final as the top seed and finished the season 17-2. The title was the program’s seventh championship and its first since 2001. Chad Palumbo took the biggest individual spotlight. finishing with four goals and an assist. all in the decisive first half. and earning tournament most outstanding player honors.
The turnaround wasn’t built on one night of brilliance. It was a team performance that showed up in the small, relentless ways coaches love. Princeton held a 29-11 advantage in ground balls before intermission, setting the tone for a possession game Notre Dame couldn’t consistently disrupt.
“It took years in the making, and there are so many great people behind this … ,” Princeton coach Matt Madalon said. “So thrilled and so proud of these guys. It’s now a forever team. That’s always the goal.”
Colin Burns added a hat trick, and Nate Kabiri contributed a goal and three assists for the Tigers. On the defensive end, goalie Ryan Croddick made 13 saves, and even picked up credit for an assist on a transition goal by Cooper Mueller in the fourth quarter.
“This team dreamed this since day 1,” Palumbo said. “The love on this team is unbelievable. It took us 25 years to get back to the mountain top. Every guy battled ups and downs. We wouldn’t be here without each other.”
Notre Dame, finished at 13-3, didn’t vanish after the early scoring. The Fighting Irish had the better of things in the opening five minutes with three quick tallies. giving Princeton a reason to adjust rather than coast. Princeton leaned more heavily into a zone defense as the game went on. and that shift pulled Notre Dame out of rhythm.
Will Angrick scored twice to start the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 11-5. Burns answered with a pair of goals in the same quarter to keep Notre Dame at bay.
Thomas Ricciardelli, doing everything he could to keep the game within reach, made 20 saves for Notre Dame. Even with that effort, Princeton’s possession dominance was too much to overcome.
The pattern of the championship became visible in the scoreboard and in the matchups that mattered. Notre Dame’s early burst gave them a temporary foothold. but Princeton’s zone defense and its control of ground balls before and after intermission widened the gap—until the game turned into Princeton’s quarter.
By the time the final horn sounded, Princeton’s 16-9 win wasn’t just a result. It was the culmination of a program reaching back to its last title in 2001—one that players and coaches described as something they’d been chasing for years, then finally broke through to claim.
Princeton lacrosse NCAA men’s lacrosse championship Notre Dame Fighting Irish Scott Stadium Chad Palumbo Matt Madalon Ryan Croddick ground balls college sports
Congrats Princeton i guess? 16-9 seems kinda wild.
Notre Dame got “bursted” lol what even does that mean. So Princeton just randomly went on an 11-goal run in one quarter? That’s not how games usually work.
I read that Princeton had 29-11 ground balls and I’m like… okay so they literally just won the dirt? Also Palumbo got 4 goals and an assist, which is cool but I’m still confused how goalie saves turn into an assist? Isn’t that just a pass?
Princeton winning their 7th title is nice but I swear these rankings always favor the top seed. Like if they were 17-2 all season then yeah of course they’d roll. Meanwhile Notre Dame can’t “disrupt possession”?? sounds like excuses to me. Also Scott Stadium in Charlottesville??? thought that place was for football.