ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 11 Harvard men's lacrosse team put forth an impressive defensive showing against the No. 2 Princeton Tigers in its return to the Ivy League Tournament, but an eventual late rally from the Tigers helped the Ivy foe pull away to take an 11-8 win. The Crimson (10-4, 4-2 Ivy) had one of the best offensives in the nation stifled for a majority of the game, but could not land the knockout punch as the Tigers (12-2, 5-1 Ivy) would go on to advance to the championship game on Sunday.
Graham Stevens made 18 saves in the cage to set a new career-high while anchoring a solid defensive effort from the Crimson.
Jack Speidell led the offense with four points, scoring three goals and dishing out one assist.
The Crimson's 2025 season may not be over just yet, as the latest projections have the Crimson as the last team in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field. The team will need to wait until Sunday night (May 4), where it will learn its fate during the selection show that is set to begin at 9:30 PM.
How it Happened
The Crimson officially made its return to the Ivy League Tournament tonight at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. where it faced off against the No. 2 ranked and second-seeded Princeton Tigers. The teams had to wait longer than they thought to get on the field as a weather delay pushed the start of the contest back to 9:00 PM, two and a half hours after the scheduled first faceoff.
A fast-paced first quarter saw the Tigers get the early jump on the Crimson, scoring the first goal of the game four minutes into the action. Outside of that goal, the Harvard defense stood strong, holding off the Tigers for the rest of the period. The team had
Graham Stevens to thank for that as the first-year made seven saves in the first quarter to keep Princeton off the board. The Crimson began to piece together some solid offensive possessions in the final stretch of the first quarter, eventually getting the equalizer from
Owen Gaffney with just under a minute remaining in the quarter. The stout Harvard defense led the way as the first quarter ended with Harvard and Princeton locked in a 1-1 tie.
The pace began to pick up in the second quarter, with the sides trading punches for the duration of the period. After an early goal from the Tigers,
Miles Botkiss leveled the score with the first of his two goals on the night. Harvard earned its first lead of the contest shortly after when
Jack Speidell converted on the extra-man, scoring his first goal of the game to put the Crimson up, 3-2. Princeton answered with a two-goal run of its own, taking a brief 4-3 lead towards the end of the frame. It was Botkiss once again who squashed the Tiger lead in the second quarter, as the senior netted his second goal to bring the total to 4-4. Princeton landed the final punch of the quarter, beating the halftime buzzer with the go-ahead goal. The Tigers last second strike gave the team a 5-4 lead at the half.
Harvard came out of the locker room firing beginning a back-and-forth third quarter with a goal from
Jack Speidell to level the score at five. Princeton fought back a minute later with its first goal of the half to take a 7-6 lead but it was yet another short-lived advantage as
Owen Gaffney connected with
Teddy Malone to find the back of the cage just 50 seconds later, leveling the score once again. Princeton took the lead back shortly after the Malone goal, but an impressive strike from distance by John Aurandt brought the teams back to level at seven. The teams would go back-to-back one more time in the quarter, with Princeton taking a brief 8-7 lead at the three-minute mark. Speidell had the answer this time, with his third goal of the afternoon just 30 seconds later. The score entering the final quarter had the teams tied at eight goals apiece.
Graham Stevens continued his strong play throughout the contest and in the fourth quarter made some of the biggest saves of the game to keep Harvard within striking distance. His first big stop of the quarter came at the 13-minute mark, where he recorded his 15
th save of the afternoon to officially set a new career-high. Princeton finally got past the first-year, scoring back-to-back goals to build the first two-goal lead of the game. Stevens did not shy away, making a pair of difficult saves midway through the quarter to keep the Crimson within reach. After back-to-back empty possessions for Harvard, Princeton capitalized with its final goal of the game at the 1:39 second mark of the fourth quarter. The Tigers would go on to secure an 11-8 win against the Crimson to advance to the Ivy League Tournament Championship on Sunday.
Harvard Highlights
- Graham Stevens made a career-high 18 saves to anchor the defense.
- Jack Speidell led the attack with four points by scoring three goals and dishing out one assist. Speidell's five ground balls were also a team-high.
- Miles Botkiss scored two goals in the contest.
- Owen Gaffney registered two points with a goal and an assist.
- Martin Nelson and Sam King each recorded two caused turnovers.
Up Next
The Crimson will need to wait until Sunday (May 4) night to see if it will be included in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field during the selection show, which is scheduled for 9:30 PM. Latest projections have Harvard as the last team in the tournament.
