IN RHYTHM: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Gavin McBride races upfield in recent action. Last Saturday, junior McBride had three goals and an assist to help Princeton overcome a 3-0 halftime deficit on the way to a 7-3 win over visiting Dartmouth. The Tigers, now 4-7 overall and 1-3 Ivy League, play at Harvard (6-6 overall, 2-2 Ivy) on April 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Even though the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team trailed Dartmouth 3-0 at halftime last Saturday, Gavin McBride sensed that the Tigers just needed to loosen up a little bit to get in synch.

“We just started slow; I think we were trying to force things a little bit too much; we calmed down and listened to our leader and captain Ryan Ambler,” recalled junior attackman McBride.

“It was just play our game, relax, and have fun out there, and play how we know how to play.”

McBride helped get the Tigers on the board, getting an assist as sophomore star Austin Sims fired a shot into the back of the net 3:26 into the third quarter.

“We were patient, we didn’t take the first look and we got all the way through our set,” said McBride, reflecting on the tally.

“Austin is obviously a great shooter so getting him the ball is always great; he canned it from about 14 yards out.”

McBride added a goal in the third quarter and tallied two more in the fourth as Princeton pulled away to a 7-3 win, improving to 4-7 overall and 1-3 Ivy League.

“It is always nice to see the first one go in and have the floodgates open a little bit,” said McBride, who now has a hat trick in three straight games.

“Once we saw the first one go in, I thought we got into a rhythm and they all started going from there. They started coming a little bit easier at that point.

After not scoring a point as a freshman in 2014, McBride has now tallied at least one point in 26 straight games.

“Playing with guys like Ryan Ambler and Riley Thompson is big, they are probably two of the smartest and most consistent lacrosse players I have played with in my life,” said McBride, a 5’10, 180-pound native of Bryn Mawr, Pa. who now has 19 goals on the season, second-best on the team.

“They are always putting me in unbelievable situations. I know if I pass it to them, they are always going to bury it and I think they have that same trust in me.”

McBride has put in extra time on the practice field to take advantage of those scoring situations.

“We have got great coaches here, we try to shoot every day, whether it is with coach (Matt) Madalon or coach (Dan) Carson or with Ryan or Riley,” said McBride. “It is lot of extra shooting and a lot of reps.”

Interim head coach Madalon is proud of how McBride has made himself into a great weapon for the Tigers.

“He is Mr. Consistent for us, he knows the offense as good as anyone,” said Madalon.

“He is like having a second coach on the field, he and Ryan Ambler are literally coaches on the field. They have done an incredible job owning this offense and they are very impressive young men.”

Despite seeing his team go scoreless in the first half, something Princeton hadn’t done since 2006, Madalon was confident that the offense would get going.

“It is just about staying the course, that is what it is really about,” added Madalon, who also got goals from Bobby Weaver, Sean Connors, and Sam Gravitte in the win over the Big Green.

“Our offense was working, we just weren’t cashing in. We believe in our systems and we believe in each other and it was just a matter of time until we stacked plays on top of each other.”

In holding Dartmouth scoreless in the second half, the Tigers made plays in other parts of the field.

“Our defense is really coming into their own,” asserted Madalon. “Those guys have done a nice job upping their communication, dialing in their fundamentals and just manufacturing stops; that is the biggest thing. We get 15 saves from Tyler Blaisdell in goal and 10-for-14 face-offs for Sam Bonafede at the X; those are difference makers.”

The win over Dartmouth kept Princeton in the race for one of the four spots in the Ivy postseason tournament and the Tigers head to Harvard (6-6 overall, 2-2 Ivy) on April 23 in a critical game that could make a big difference in clearing up the playoff picture.

“We are just thrilled to go on to the next one,” said Madalon. “We are just excited to prepare and get back to work as a team. It is going to be a great game, we are excited for it. We couldn’t ask for anything more than Harvard and Cornell in April.”

McBride, for his part, is excited about the stretch drive. “It is playoff mode for us right now, every game is win or go home; that is the mentality we are going to take,” said McBride.

“We are going to play every game like it is our last one. Harvard is the next game. They are a great team so it is going to be a big one.”