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Princeton Lacrosse: Chad Palumbo delivered a dominant first-half performance, scoring all four of his goals before halftime to help Princeton secure a 16-9 victory over Notre Dame in the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship game on Monday.
Colin Burns also played a key role in the win, recording a hat trick as the Tigers controlled the contest and claimed their first national title in 24 years.
Top-seeded Princeton finished the season with a 17-2 record.
The victory extended the Tigers’ winning streak to 12 games and improved their record to 7-2 in NCAA championship game appearances.
The championship marked Princeton’s ninth appearance in the national title game.
The program’s previous eight championship game trips came during a successful stretch between 1992 and 2002.
With the victory, Princeton added another chapter to its storied lacrosse history and secured its first NCAA men’s lacrosse crown since 2001.
Second-seeded Notre Dame finished the season with a 13-3 record after reaching the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship game for the third time in four years.
The Fighting Irish entered the final as back-to-back national champions, having captured titles in 2023 and 2024.
Notre Dame also previously fell in championship games in 2010 and 2014.
Princeton faced an early challenge, falling behind 3-0 in the opening minutes. The Tigers quickly responded and seized control of the game with a remarkable surge.
Princeton scored the final 11 goals of the first half to turn the contest into a rout before the break.
Chad Palumbo played a central role in the turnaround. He contributed to the Tigers’ first three goals and continued to lead the offensive charge throughout the half.
Palumbo capped the scoring run with his 48th goal of the season, finding the net with just 22 seconds remaining before halftime.
The goal extended Princeton’s advantage to 11-3 heading into the locker room.
The four-goal performance marked Palumbo’s fifth game of the season with at least four goals, further highlighting his impact during Princeton’s championship campaign.
Notre Dame attempted to close the gap in the second half, but Princeton continued to answer every challenge on its way to the national title.
Luke Miller scored on a man-up opportunity with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter to cut Princeton’s lead to 12-7. The Tigers quickly responded.
Colin Burns found the net for his 11th goal of the tournament, restoring momentum and extending the advantage to 13-7.
Tucker Wade added another key score for Princeton. His goal made it 14-8 and came on the Tigers’ 50th shot of the game.
The multi-goal effort marked Wade’s 13th game this season with at least two goals. Princeton’s defense also played a major role in the victory.
Goaltender Ryan Croddick recorded 13 saves and helped limit Notre Dame’s offense throughout the contest.
The defensive performance continued a postseason trend for the Tigers.
Notre Dame became the sixth consecutive Princeton playoff opponent to be held to 10 goals or fewer.
Despite entering the championship game with a strong record, Notre Dame’s only regular-season defeat had come against Virginia in Charlottesville.
The Fighting Irish were unable to overcome Princeton’s balanced attack and defensive pressure in the title match.
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