Women's Lacrosse: ’Nova no match for balanced execution

“We were really happy with how we played on Saturday,” sophomore midfielder Sarah Lloyd said. “We all worked as a team well, which helped us get such a big win. We really focused on our game plan, and on defense we shut down the players we needed to.”

Seven different players contributed goals for the Tigers as their well-balanced attack worked together to get past Villanova’s defenders. Impressive shooting by Princeton resulted in converting 16 of 28 shots. Head coach Chris Sailer was pleased by the teamwork she saw on the field, noting in particular that 12 of the goals were assisted.

“I thought we played really well together,” Sailer said. “We had a good ride that put lots of pressure on Villanova. We played as a strong unit all over the field. Our core group got lots of time to play together, and we also had a chance for lots of kids to get good experience.”

Jackie Froccaro, the younger sister of Princeton men’s lacrosse junior midfielder Jeff Froccaro, netted all three of the Wildcat’s goals unassisted.

In net for the Tigers, freshman goalie Annie Woehling recorded three saves in her first career performance. Sophomore Caroline Franke also stepped into goal for the final 10 minutes to help lead Princeton to its victory. Defensively, the Tigers put high pressure on Villanova’s ball carriers all over the field, earning seven caused turnovers.

“The defense did a really great job of communicating,” Lloyd said. “Our clearing, which we struggled with last week in our scrimmage, was definitely much better, too.”

Sophomore attacker Mary-Kate Sivilli put the first goal on the scoreboard for Princeton at 24:41. A free position opportunity for freshman Erin McMunn resulted in the Tigers’ early 2-0 lead. Villanova responded within two minutes to close the lead to one. Princeton then went on a five-goal unanswered streak before the half to open the gap to 7-1. Sivilli received a pass from Gassaway to slot in her second goal of the game. Junior midfielder Charlotte Davis connected with senior attacker Barb Previ, and 25 seconds later, Lloyd fired for another goal. Neither team would score for 18 minutes until Gassaway put her first two goals past the Wildcats’ keeper in the final minute of the half, both assisted by McMunn.

“It was great to get out to a good lead and take control of the game from the start,” Sailer said. “We set the tempo, which is something we want to do in all of our games this season. We played with a lot of confidence.”

Gassaway netted her third in a row in the opening minute of the second half on an assist from freshman midfielder Erin Slifer. Villanova put in its second goal at 25:54, and would not score again for 20 minutes. This time, Gassaway found McMunn who put in her second goal of the game. Gassaway and McMunn connected three times during the game.

The 10th goal by Princeton came from Gassaway off a pass from Previ. Unassisted, Davis scored her second of the game at 20:16. These four goals in the opening 10 minutes of the second half put the Tigers ahead 11-2. Junior attacker Sam Ellis fired for back-to-back goals. Davis assisted the first and McMunn grabbed her third assist of the game on the second goal. McMunn recorded five points in her collegiate premiere. Gassaway’s fifth goal came at 11:19 when she worked with Sivilli.

“[Gassaway] is going to be a big goal scorer for us,” Sailer said. “She finishes her opportunities really well. She can get to the cage and find openings for herself off of a cut, off the drive or off of a fast break. She is a dynamic attacker.”

Princeton sophomore Grace Bowen added a goal off an assist by freshman Jess Nelson before the Wildcats finished for their third and final goal. Slifer tallied her second assist when she found Bowen, who scored the final goal of the game, leaving the scoreboard showing 16-3 as the final 1:49 ticked off the clock.

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“As a team, we will be hard to stop if everybody is an offensive threat,” Lloyd said.

The Tigers will take on their New Jersey rival, Rutgers, Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in their first game of the season on their home turf. Saturday afternoon, Princeton will host Duke in its third non-conference competition.

“Rutgers is always a tough team for us and has a lot of talented players,” Sailer said. “It is going to be a competitive game, and Jersey pride is on the line. We are working on fine-tuning all aspects of our game and adding to our game plan.”