Women's Lacrosse: Rematch against James Madison looms in first round of NCAAs

“Our game against James Madison earlier in the year was a poor display of our skills,” senior attack and tri-captain Lizzy Drumm said.

“We were very flat and overwhelmed by JMU’s energy,” head coach Chris Sailer added.

No. 14 Princeton will have a chance at redemption when it faces No. 10 James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow. The game will be held at the Dukes’ home field in Harrisonburg, Va., where they have won six of seven games this year, including the 10-5 victory over Princeton.

The Tigers, winners of five of their last six games, are looking to turn the tables this time around but will be up against a tough opponent in James Madison, which is riding a six-game winning streak. Princeton looks to be doing everything it can in preparation for the matchup, even focusing on the small details that could give it an edge over the Dukes.

“We had trouble winning the 50-50 balls and the ground balls in the thick grass,” Sailer said of the earlier matchup against the Dukes.

This time around, Sailer said he hopes that the Tigers will be more prepared for the field, as they have made some changes in practice.

“We’ve been practicing out on the grass so we should have a smooth transition to [James Madison’s] field,” Sailer said.

In addition to the team’s meticulous preparation, the Tiger offense has been red hot during the last six games, averaging 13.3 goals per game.

“We have become an entirely different team and our attack has been working really well together the past few weeks,” said Drumm, who leads the team with 43 goals. “As long as we bring our game and are threatening, we should have no trouble taking the JMU defense.”

On the defensive side of the field, the Tigers are anchored by senior goalie and co-captain Erin Tochihara. The Princeton goalkeeper ranks ninth in the nation in save percentage and has played a crucial part in the Tigers’ Ivy League Tournament victory. Tochihara came up with big save after big save and was later named Division I Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts against Penn and Harvard, in which she recorded a combined 19 saves.

“We competed hard and really believed that we could win,” Sailer said of the team’s Ivy League Tournament performance. “[Tochihara] made the big saves when we needed her to, giving our offense a chance to find its rhythm.”

The winner will advance to the quarterfinals and will play either Army or No. 1-seed Maryland. The Tigers have not faced Army this year but fell to No. 1 Maryland in a 17-10 road loss. Princeton, which failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last year, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 18 of its last 19 appearances in the 16-team battle.

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“It’s great to be back in the NCAAs with a team that has grown so much over the course of the season,” Sailer said. “We’re playing our best lacrosse of the season right now, which is exactly where we want to be.”