Princeton Men’s Lacrosse hosts Brown on April 12, 2025.

MUELLER TIME: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Cooper Mueller helping to key the defense last Saturday as Princeton hosted Brown. Sophomore midfielder Mueller contributed one goal, four ground balls, and one caused turnover as the Tigers defeated Brown 17-6. Princeton, now 9-2 overall and 3-1 Ivy League, clinched a spot in the upcoming Ivy postseason tournament in the process. The Tigers play at Penn (4-8 overall, 1-4 Ivy) on April 19. (Photo by Shelley Szwast, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Cooper Mueller continued a special family athletic tradition when he decided to join the Princeton University men’s lacrosse program.

His father, Kit Mueller, produced a legendary career for the Princeton men’s basketball program, scoring 1,546 points and getting named as the Ivy League Player of the Year in both 1990 and 1991.

In 2020, Mueller’s older sister, Ellie, came to Princeton and emerged as a star for the Tiger women’s lax team, tallying 28 goals and 18 assists with 77 draw controls in her career.

While Mueller’s dad and sister were hands off as he considered his college options, following in their footsteps was inevitable.

“When I was going through the recruiting process, my dad and sister stayed out of it,” said Mueller, a 6’3, 180-pound native of Villanova, Pa. “Once I made the decision, they were really happy. I think we all saw it coming. I grew up a Tiger. I was to going basketball games when I was two years old. It has been a part of the family. It is definitely a place I always thought of as home.”

Sophomore Mueller has found a home on the defensive midfield for the Tiger men’s lax team, excelling with his combination of athleticism and hustle.

Last Saturday, Mueller contributed one goal, four ground balls, and one caused turnover to help Princeton defeat Brown 17-6 as it improved to 9-2 overall and 3-1 Ivy League and clinched a spot in the upcoming Ivy postseason tournament in the process.

With Princeton trailing 2-1 midway through the first quarter, Mueller sprinted upfield in an unsettled situation and gathered in a pass from senior attacker Coulter Mackesy and fired a shot into the back of the cage.

“I have been working on those transition opportunities, we have a lot of guys who can get up and out,” said Mueller. “We have definitely been working on that this week. Coulter got me this one. Generally I want to get out to one of those guys. I don’t think I am the No. 1 option shooting there.”

While Mueller’s main focus is defense, he has been working on contributing more at the offensive end.

“I have been trying to make that an emphasis,” said Mueller, who went scoreless last season. “We have the best wing shooters in the country. It opens it up on top for us sometimes. When they are getting covered, it kind of leaves us open in return.”

The Tiger defense did a good job covering the Bears, limiting them to one goal in the second and third quarter while building a 40-33 edge in ground balls.

“We have a lot of guys stepping up,” said Mueller, who has recorded 26 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers this season. “We have six, seven, eight really good d-middies that are able to step up. We have seven poles in the rotation with a lot of older guys getting some playing time. It is really going to mesh as they season us going on.”

Making 15 appearances last spring, Mueller gained some valuable experience and confidence.

“Being able get some time last year, I am stepping up into a little bigger role this year,” said Mueller. “It the best d-middie unit in the country in my opinion with guys like Michael Kelly, Liam Fairback and Jackson Green. Being around those great guys and all of the seniors last year, the leadership and culture within our d-middie room is something that is really special.”

Like his father, Mueller has played for the Princeton men’s hoops program, getting into two games off the bench for the Tigers this winter.

“It has been awesome to be a part of that team,” said Mueller. “It is working with both teams throughout the fall and into the winter. Once we go lacrosse, I am all in to the lacrosse team. Being able to practice with both teams and to be on the bench for a few of the basketball games has been really special.”

In Mueller’s view, his time on the hardcourt has helped him on the lacrosse field.

“I have always been a two-sport guy,” added Mueller. “The defense translates a lot and just thinking about the game in a different way is something that has helped me too.”

In reflecting on the game with Brown, Princeton head coach Matt Madalon acknowledged that the Bears put the Tigers on their heels in the early going.

“Brown came out right off the bat and executed well,” said Madalon. “We had to adjust a little bit and I think we settled in.”

Mueller’s goal proved to be a spark as it started a 7-1 run for the Tigers.

“It was just nice to get going in different parts of the game, that was a nice transition goal by Cooper,” said Madalon. “We put so much on his plate in terms of clearing and in terms of face-off wins and in terms of covering top matchups.

He is a really impressive young guy.”

The Tiger defense produced an impressive effort in stifling Brown.

“They shut it down, they protected Croddick (goalie Ryan Croddick) and let him get going a little bit,” said Madalon. “It was a good effort by all of those guys.”

While the Tiger attack line of sophomore Nate Kabiri (4 goals, 3 assists), sophomore Colin Burns (3 goals, 3 assists), and Mackesy (2 goals, 2 assists) piled up the points, their effort all over the field made a difference.

“I don’t know where they ended up points with but some of the effort on ground balls and riding plays sparked our whole team,” said Madalon.

In the face-off X, junior Andrew McMeekin produced a gritty effort, going 12-for-21 on face-offs and scooping up nine ground balls.

“That was another tough matchup, he was getting the ball squirted out but he made some great ground ball plays,” said Madalon. “He was really tough on the ground, he did a good job of clearing it. He did a nice job.”

With Princeton up 15-5 early in the fourth quarter, Madalon cleared the bench to give his reserves a good run and they responded. Freshman midfielder Jake Vana tallied his first career goal down the stretch while sophomore backup goalie Colin Vickrey recorded two saves.

“Any time you are in a position where you are lucky enough to get in some of your guys who work so hard throughout the week, it is extremely rewarding,” said Madalon. “It means you have handled your business and they have earned an opportunity to get out there. For us, as long as the standard doesn’t change, we are always happy to do it.”

As Princeton looks to raise its standard of play with the postseason around the corner, Madalon believes the performance against Brown was a step forward.

“We had a pretty good week of practice,” said Madalon, whose team plays at Penn (4-8 overall, 1-4 Ivy) on April 19. “We still have to tighten up the clear and we want to be a little better off the face-off X. We had some good execution in parts of the game where we are still working to get better. Being able to come out of halftime and keep the pedal to the metal and to keep executing, I think the guys did a good job. All in all, it was a good team effort, glad to get that W.”

Mueller, for his part, is confident that Princeton will keep improving its execution.

“We want to keep getting better every game,” said Mueller. “We played great today but there is definitely stuff to learn from every game, especially the last few. We are just taking it one game at a time getting better.”