Women's Lacrosse: Princeton tests 2-0 mark in ranked battle

Cornell opened the 2012 season with five wins, including two decisive defeats of conference opponents. The Big Red beat Harvard by six goals and Columbia by 12, the same margin of victory that the Tigers tallied over the Lions. The only other common opponent in both teams’ schedules so far is Rutgers. In its season opener, Cornell won by one goal over Rutgers; four days later, Princeton lost to the Scarlet Knights in double overtime.

Based on this season’s results and rankings, Saturday’s matchup is predicted to be a competitive game. Both squads will be out for revenge after both dropping one-goal games over the weekend. Cornell lost to Ivy League rival Penn, while the Tigers fell to Johns Hopkins.

“Cornell is a good team and has been playing really well so far this year,” sophomore midfielder Sarah Lloyd said. “We’re looking to shut down a few of their key players and really keep possession time in our control by getting draw controls and creating long offenses.”

The Big Red’s attack averages 15 goals per game. Three go-to players are responsible for generating a majority of the offense for Cornell: Jessi Steinberg, Oliva Knotts and Caroline Salisbury, who have combined for an even 100 points so far. Princeton’s defense will try to force the ball away from this trio and to their teammates.

Defensively, Cornell averages 9.75 goals allowed per game, with two goalies splitting time: Courtney Gallagher and Kyla Dambach with .415 and .382 save percentages, respectively.

Princeton has focused on improving its draw controls all season, a crucial element of the game for gaining possession and setting the tempo. Saturday will be a tough challenge on the circle: Cornell has grabbed 56 percent of its draws this season, compared to 47.5 percent for the Tigers.

Besides improving in the circle, Princeton has also worked to achieve successful clears more consistently. Eight games into the season, the Tigers have earned a clear percentage of .857. Freshman goalie Annie Woehling has stepped up in net recently, improving her save percentage to .433, better than either of the Big Red’s stoppers.

“Our team came out of spring break doing a good job on the defensive end and clearing the ball, so we hope to carry those aspects of the game over into this weekend,” Lloyd said.

Offensively, the Tigers continue to post a well-balanced attack, with several players contributing goals each game. Princeton also works well as a team on the attack, with 52 of its 88 goals for the season coming off of an assist.

At 12.6 goals per game, the Tigers’ offense has posted slightly lesser numbers than Cornell, but Princeton’s sharp shooters have converted 50 percent of their shots into goals. Though every player on the field for the Tigers can be counted on for a goal or assist, a few players continue to dominate in front of the net. Junior attacker Jaci Gassaway and senior midfielder Cassie Pyle have each recorded 20 goals, sharing the team lead. Freshman attacker Erin McMunn has connected for a team-high 17 assists, while sophomore attacker Mary-Kate Sivilli and Lloyd have each added nine goals apiece.

The Tigers will have to be in top form on Saturday if they hope to maintain their unbeaten conference record. A full week of hard work in practice is preparing the squad and improving its confidence heading into the weekend.

“I think draw controls and possession time are two of the factors we are really focusing on in practice this week,” Lloyd said. “If we can control the draws and become smarter with our decisions, I think we can be successful.”