Duke runs into Princeton’s second-half wall in NCAA semifinal loss
The game tilted after Duke made its push
Duke did not lose this one because it got starved of the ball. That would have been the cleaner explanation, and naturally lacrosse refused to be that polite.
The Blue Devils won the faceoff battle 14-10, put up 47 shots to Princeton’s 46, cleared at a strong 22-for-23 clip and committed only nine turnovers. On paper, that is enough to hang around in a national semifinal. On the scoreboard, Princeton still walked away 14-7 Saturday at Scott Stadium because the Tigers were sharper where the game actually got decided: finishing chances, surviving pressure and turning the third quarter into the separation point.
Duke trailed 3-2 after the first quarter, then briefly grabbed the lead in the second. #37 Mac Christmas scored off a #11 Michael Ortlieb feed just 22 seconds into the period, and #41 Cal Girard followed eight seconds later to put the Blue Devils in front 4-3. For a moment, Duke had the exact kind of quick-strike answer that can make a semifinal wobble.
Princeton answered by making the wobble disappear.
Princeton’s run was the difference
The Tigers closed the first half with three straight goals, including two from #19 Tucker Wade in the final 70 seconds. The last one came with two seconds left before halftime, which is the kind of goal that feels less like a statistic and more like somebody stepping on your shoelaces.
Then Princeton kept pressing. #36 Jake Vana opened the third quarter, and after Ortlieb cut it to 7-5, Princeton punched back with four of the next five goals. #33 Porter Malkiel, #2 Nate Kabiri and #0 Colin Burns all scored in the quarter as Princeton turned a tense game into an 11-6 lead.
That was the stretch Duke never solved. The Blue Devils were not careless, and they were not overwhelmed between the lines. They just could not match Princeton’s efficiency once the Tigers started stacking possessions with real bite.
Croddick made Duke pay for every almost
The biggest number in the box score was not Duke’s shot total. It was Princeton goalie #26 Ryan Croddick’s 20 saves.
Duke forced him to work. #19 Benn Johnston had a hat trick on nine shots, scoring twice in the first quarter and again late in the third. #2 Kyle Colsey added a fourth-quarter goal. Ortlieb, Christmas and Girard each scored once. #15 Max Sloat and #23 Aidan Maguire each had an assist.
But Croddick kept turning good Duke looks into empty possessions. The Blue Devils put 27 shots on goal and scored seven times. That conversion rate is a brutal way to spend a semifinal, especially when Princeton was getting multi-goal production from Burns, Vana, Kabiri, Wade and Malkiel.
Burns led Princeton with four goals, Vana and Kabiri each had three, and Kabiri also added two assists. Princeton did not need one absurd outlier performance. It got a balanced enough avalanche.
Duke’s season ends with a hard lesson
This was not a game where Duke lacked fight. Girard went 12-for-18 at the stripe and picked up eight ground balls. #44 Buck Cunningham made 11 saves. The Blue Devils won ground balls 32-30 and caused enough Princeton mistakes to keep giving themselves chances.
But chances are not goals, and May is spectacularly uninterested in moral victories. Princeton finished the third quarter like a No. 1-caliber team and closed the fourth without letting Duke back into the conversation.
Duke’s season ends at 11-5, one win short of the championship game. The Blue Devils were close enough for the loss to sting, but not close enough late for it to feel stolen. Princeton earned the separation. Duke just ran out of answers before it could make the Tigers uncomfortable again.
