Princeton Lacrosse Scores Most Princeton Goal Of All-Time As Debatable Shot Exemplifies Need For Replay In All Sports

It is the year 2023, and it is time to implement replay across the board, in all sports, on every level possible— especially lacrosse. Or, at the very least, it needs to be used during the postseason to avoid situations like what happened on Friday.

Princeton lacrosse advanced to the Ivy League Tournament final by one goal, but the margin of victory might have been greater if there was a chance to review a controversial shot during the second quarter. It didn’t end up factoring into the final result, but it raises a larger point.

Princeton lacrosse got out to an early lead.

Princeton entered the four-team conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and paired up with No. 2-seed Penn. The Tigers got things started early and jumped out to a 3-2 lead.

Their second goal of the game was the most Princeton goal of all-time. Senior middie Christian Ronda set up sophomore attack Coulter Mackesy, who snuck his shot into the bottom left corner and scored past the Quakers keeper.

Why was the goal so Princeton?

Ronda is from Greenwich, Conn., Macksey is from Bronxsville, N.Y. and they both attended the Brunswick School. Greenwich and Bronxville are about as WASPy as it gets, and Brunswick is the epitome of New England prep school.

(If you’re from the northeast, you know exactly why this is so funny.)

If that wasn’t Princeton enough, Macksey and Ronda were teammates in high school — on the squash team. It doesn’t get much preppier, which is perfectly on-brand for Ivy League lax.

Not long thereafter, the controversy proceeded to unfold.

Penn sophomore attack Ben Smith got the ball at about nine yards out and ripped a heater top cheddar for what looked like a goal. Tigers goalie Michael Gianforcaro could not stop the shot and was visibly deflated.

It was ruled a goal on the field. But was it?

The lack of replay in the Ivy League Tournament led the goal to stand. Replay is not used in the Ivy League Tournament. Period.. There wasn’t even an opportunity for the officials to take a look and be sure that the shot actually went in, which is utterly ridiculous!

Considering how advanced that technology is today, there is no reason to have any kind of debate in a situation like this. Especially during the postseason.

Send the call upstairs to the booth, let the video team take a look at the video, and make the call based off of the video. It’s such a simple, easy-to-implement technology that it’s astonishing for a top-tier conference not to use it.

In the end, it looked like the right call was made.

And in the end, the goal didn’t factor into the final score. Princeton won anyway.

Imagine, though, if Penn’s shot didn’t go in, was ruled a goal anyway, and the Quakers went on to win by one? It serves as the perfect example of why it’s time to get replay going on every level of every sport. Especially in the postseason.