Women's Lacrosse: Princeton falls to Hopkins but stays perfect in league

On March 17, No. 19 Princeton added another thrilling installment to their rivalry with Virginia (6-4 overall, 1-2 ACC). The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as the Tigers and Cavaliers traded goals throughout the first 30 minutes. The teams left the field with a 4-4 tie at halftime.

Princeton came out with a vengeance after the break, scoring the first three goals of the half over a two-and-a-half-minute span. The Tigers added two more goals later in the contest and survived a rally by the Cavaliers. Virginia scored its sixth and seventh goals over a three-minute span to put the game within two scores with four minutes left to play, but freshman goalie Annie Woehling stopped both of the visitors’ attempts to get closer.

Woehling made 13 saves against 20 shots on goal, nearly doubling her previous season high.

The Tigers’ trip to New York was a little easier, as they had their way with the Lions (1-6, 0-4 Ivy League). The potent Princeton offense posted nine goals in each half while the defense held strong on the way to a convincing 18-6 victory over the Lions.

The 18-goal performance matched the Tigers’ previous best on the season, a dominating win against fellow Ivy League competitor Brown earlier in March.

The Tigers swiftly built a 9-1 lead with 10 minutes left in the opening half and never looked back. Woehling had another strong performnace, making 11 saves while allowing only six shots to reach the net.

On Sunday, Princeton took its show down to Baltimore in an attempt to pull off a spring break sweep, but the Tigers dropped a heartbreaker to the No. 12 Blue Jays (7-2). Princeton came out of the gates hot, opening a 4-1 advantage just six minutes into the game, but Hopkins closed the first frame with a last second goal to establish a 7-5 lead at the break.

The Tigers knotted the game at eight apiece midway through the second half, but a Hopkins goal with 15 minutes left held up as the game-winner. A staunch Princeton defense silenced the Blue Jays for the remainder of the half, but its offense saw two shots go wide of the goal and another saved by goalkeeper Cosette Larsah, who was substituted in after the Blue Jays scored the tie-breaking goal.

Senior midfielder Cassie Pyle put on an offensive clinic over the three-game stretch, netting three, five and four goals, respectively. She is now tied with junior attacker Jaci Gassaway for the team lead in goals with 20, after Gassaway scored five times in three games. Freshman attacker Erin McMunn had an impressive three-goal, three-assist performance at Columbia and currently leads the Tigers’ offense with 17 assists on the season.

Princeton’s next game is on March 31, when the Tigers host Cornell for their third Ivy League contest of the season. The Tigers won last year’s matchup in Ithaca, N.Y., but the Big Red knocked off a ranked Tigers team last time it came to Princeton, an opportunity it will have again this week.