Women's Lacrosse: Gassaway nets game-winner in overtime

This time, the No. 19 Tigers (2-0) needed overtime, handing intrastate rival Rutgers (2-1) its first loss of the season in another thrilling contest.

Holding a two-goal lead with less than one minute to play, the Tigers seemed assured of a victory. Rutgers attacker Katherine Marino halved the lead with a free position shot, however, giving the home team some hope. Rutgers won the draw and called timeout, and with only eight seconds on the clock, Scarlet Knights attacker Lindsey Watts broke through the defense and scored unassisted, miraculously forcing overtime.

Each team managed a shot on goal midway through the six-minute extra period, but both goalies kept their nets free. After most of the remaining time passed without much action, the teams appeared headed for a second overtime, but junior midfielder Cassie Pyle found Gassaway near the cage with 25 seconds left. The sophomore shot and scored, and although Rutgers took possession on the draw, the hosts could not get off a shot.

The Tigers had entered the match fresh off a thrilling 9-8 victory against Johns Hopkins and did not have to travel far for their first road game. Pyle struck first, converting a free position shot five minutes into the game, but a three-goal Rutgers run put the visitors in a hole.

Four consecutive goals, including two from Gassaway and a second by Pyle, quickly swung the advantage back to the Tigers. Princeton shut out the Scarlet Knights for the final 13 minutes of the half and led 5-3 at intermission.

After 10 scoreless minutes, the teams traded successful free position shots, the last of which completed Pyle’s hat trick. Through the first 45 minutes, the Tigers had shut down Scarlet Knights midfielder Marlena Welsh, who was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week after scoring six goals in her first two games. But Welsh could not be stopped forever, and she struck for two quick goals in a one-minute span, tying the game at 6.

Senior attack Lizzy Drumm answered minutes later with a pair of scores of her own, giving the Tigers an 8-6 lead that they held until the final minute.

Senior goalie Erin Tochihara, who was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after a 12-save performance in the Tigers’ season opener, allowed eight goals in 66 minutes while stopping as many shots. The hosts had slight advantages in draw controls and ground balls, but the Tigers released four more shots, with free position attempts comprising the entire difference.

Princeton avenged a 12-11 loss to Rutgers last season, which had been only the second time that the Scarlet Knights came out on top in 15 meetings. The hosts received votes in the preseason Top 20 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll and picked up victories at Temple and Cornell last week.

The Tigers remain away from home for their next game, though they will travel much further, heading down to Durham, N.C. for a date with No. 3 Duke (3-1) on Saturday afternoon.