- Chris Jastrzembski
Previewing Princeton's 2022 men's lacrosse schedule
The Princeton Tigers are the fourth team in our 2022 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the first team from the Ivy League. Princeton did not play in the 2021 season due to restrictions and challenges caused from the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time Princeton took the field, the Tigers were 5-0 with notable wins over Virginia, Johns Hopkins, and Rutgers. Princeton was ranked third in the final Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
Here's their entire 2022 spring schedule:
WHO'S IN?
Binghamton Bearcats (2/22)
Maryland Terrapins (2/26)
Georgetown Hoyas (3/5)
Marist Red Foxes (4/5)
Boston University Terriers (4/9)
WHO'S OUT?
Colgate Raiders (20-11 W)
Virginia Cavaliers (16-12 W)
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (18-11 W)
Johns Hopkins and Princeton were supposed to play each other, as the Blue Jays announced the Tigers as one of their nonconference opponents in late July. However, both programs could not come to an agreement for a date to play and are "hoping" (or "working on") a date for 2023. Besides 2021, Johns Hopkins and Princeton played each other every year since 1937 except 1944 due to World War II.
Princeton was supposed to play Stony Brook and Siena in April of 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season in March.
CIRCLE THESE DATES
2/19 vs. Monmouth: Princeton's first game in 719 days! That's a lot of days without competitive, meaningful lacrosse. Every day the Tigers have practiced or scrimmaged with each other or other teams, it has to feel great for the players, coaches, and fans. Princeton is 3-0 all-time against Monmouth, and hope to make it 4-0 with a new-look team. It should be a celebration of Princeton lacrosse.
3/5 at Georgetown: Yes the Maryland game will also be good to see where Princeton stands. But so will the Georgetown game. The two haven't played since the 2007 NCAA Tournament and each team has changed since. No more Bill Tierney on the Tigers sideline, and Kevin Warne has the Hoyas trending upward and hoping to get his team back to Championship Weekend for the first time since 1999.
3/12 at Rutgers: Does Rutgers have what it takes to reach Championship Weekend? They had a historic season in 2021 and were a goal away from reaching East Hartford. They lose some pieces such as Adam Charalambides, but they used the transfer portal to their benefit for the second straight season. Should be a fun one for the Meistrell Cup in Piscataway.
3/19 vs. Penn, 3/26 at Yale, 4/2 at Brown, 4/16 vs. Dartmouth, 4/23 at Harvard, 4/30 vs. Cornell: That's a lot of dates for a bullet point. That's also Princeton's entire Ivy League schedule. Sure you could pick out one of these dates to really look forward too, but every one of these teams (including Brown, Dartmouth, and Penn who played a game last year) is a huge question mark. We should start to have answers before Ivy League play begins in mid-March, but to predict who could be good or how the Ivy League unfolds unless you've seen every team in the fall is foolish.