CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men’s lacrosse team (7-6, 3-2 Ivy League) took down Princeton (4-8, 1-4 Ivy League) Saturday afternoon in Harvard Stadium in its final home game of the season, 16-12. A second-half surge secured the victory for the Crimson, which clinched the final spot in the Ivy League Tournament with the win.
The Crimson scoring attack was led by Will Walker, who recorded a career-high seven points (6g, 1a). He was followed by Joe Lang (2g, 2a), Devin Dwyer (1g, 2a), Ian Ardrey (1g, 1a), Carney Mahon (2g), Jack Breit (1g), Deke Burns (1g), Morgan Cheek (1a), Sean Mahon (1g), Keegan Michel (1g), and Jamie White (1g).
Robert Shaw earned the win in goal, tallying 10 saves and one ground ball. He was assisted in the defensive third by Stephen Jahelka and Walker Kirby, who each recorded three ground balls and one caused turnover. Bobby Duvnjak also picked up two ground balls and caused one turnover.
The Crimson held an 18-12 advantage at the faceoff X, as James Sullivan won 11-of-16 faceoffs and Keegan Michel won 7-of-12.
Michel opened the scoring for the Crimson, finding the back of the back of the net just eight seconds into the game after winning the opening faceoff. Both teams traded goals for the remainder of the first quarter, which ended in a 3-3 tie.
Harvard began the second quarter with the ball and an extra-man opportunity as Burns netted a goal at 14:46 to retake the lead, 4-3. After Princeton responded to tie the game at 4-4 Walker and Lang were able to string together a pair of goals to give Harvard a 6-4 lead. The Tigers battled back, however, outscoring the Crimson 3-1 in the final three minutes of the half to bring the game to its fifth tie at the break, 7-7.
The third quarter was all Crimson, as Walker scored twice, and Lang once, to give Harvard a 10-7 lead heading into the final 15:00.
Goals from Dwyer and Walker pushed the Crimson lead to 12-7 with 10:26 remaining. Princeton finally ended the Harvard run with back-to-back goals to pull within three, but Harvard responded with four-consecutive goals to take a 16-9 advantage. The Tigers scored three times in the final minutes, but it was too little too late, as Harvard held on for the victory.
The Crimson will return to action in its final game of the regular season at No. 4/4 Yale Saturday, April 30 at 3:30 p.m. live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Game Notes: Will Walker set a career-high in points (7) and goals (6) … Will Walker surpassed 100 career points (87g, 18a) with his performance … Devin Dwyer extended his point-scoring streak to 46 games, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation … Devin Dwyer surpassed 200 career points (83g, 118a) with his performance, becoming just the fourth member of the Crimson to reach the plateau … Devin Dwyer ranks fourth in Harvard history with 201 points and is third in Harvard history, 10th in Ivy League history, with 118 assists … Devin Dwyer’s 62 points this season are the seventh most in program history, while his 36 goals are tied for 12th … Morgan Cheek extended his point-scoring streak to 15 games … Joe Lang extended his point-scoring streak to 14 games … Robert Shaw has made at least 10 saves in 10 of 13 games … Jamie White recorded his first career assist … Harvard secured a spot in the Ivy League Tournament with the win, its third appearance in five years.