Princeton Men’s Lacrosse Dominates Notre Dame, Wins NCAA Title

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Princeton men’s lacrosse bounced back from an early 3-0 deficit with a dominant 11-0 run in the first half of NCAA championship game against Notre Dame on Monday and captured the program’s first national title since 2001 with a 16-9 victory.

It was an astonishing performance for the No. 1-seeded Tigers, who picked up 29 ground balls to 11 for the No. 2 Irish in the first half. That translated into a considerable advantage in possessions and scoring chances. Princeton outshot Notre Dame 33-15 in the half. 

The Irish scored three goals in the game’s first five minutes, but the Tigers settled down after a timeout by head coach Matt Madalon and tied the game on two goals and assist by starting attacker Chad Palumbo ’26. Palumbo would score all of his team-high four goals in the 11-0 run. 

The Tigers took their first lead early in the second quarter on a goal by Colin Burns ’27, took control on a score by faceoff man Andrew McMeekin ’26, and boosted their advantage with a rapid 4-0 run in the last 3:09 of the second quarter that gave the Tigers an 11-3 lead at halftime. The Irish didn’t get closer than five goals in the second half.

Goalie Ryan Croddick ’26 made 13 saves while allowing nine goals. He also excelled in the Tigers’ 14-7 semifinal win over Duke, making 20 saves in that game. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“He’s always in a good head space going to the game, and he’s holding it down there for us,” Palumbo said. “When Ryan’s seeing the ball, this team feels unstoppable. I think he’s, you know, the energy and the pulse of our entire defense.”

The win was Princeton’s 12th win in a row, a streak that spans more than two full months and includes six postseason victories (two in the Ivy League Tournament and four in the NCAAs). Prior to this year’s championship, Princeton won six NCAA titles, all between 1992 and 2001. The 2001 team was honored at halftime of Monday’s game.

“We walk into an office with six national championship trophies every day,” Madalon said after the game. “It reminds us we’re at a place where it can absolutely be done. So it’s extremely motivating. You see those teams, especially the 2001 team here today, we’ve always termed it ‘forever teams.’ Those teams that win championships stay together forever, 25-year reunions and so on. So, that’s what these guys get to do now.”