Women’s lacrosse (4–5 overall, 1–1 Ivy) fell to the Saint Joseph’s Hawks on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. The Hawks held the momentum for most of the game, and repeated scoring droughts by the Tigers meant the Hawks closed it 19–17.
The Tigers started the game out strong, with three opening goals coming in the first five minutes. Sophomore attacker McKenzie Blake, junior midfielder Kari Buonanno, and senior attacker Kate Mulham all were able to find the back of the net, putting the Hawks into a hole early on.
Saint Joseph’s then scored two goals. After one more goal from Buonanno in the first, the Hawks went on a four-goal run to close the first quarter 6–4.
The Hawks dominated the second, with six goals to double their score before the end of the first half. Junior attackers Grace Tauckus and Ellie Mueller added two more to the Princeton tally, but, at the end of the second quarter, the Tigers were down by six.
The Tigers were able to hold the Hawks and make some offensive improvements to tie the Hawks in the third quarter, with four goals for each team. Mulham netted two more, and Tauckus and Blake each had another for Princeton.
The Tigers were ready for a rally in the fourth quarter and would not finish the game without a last-ditch effort. Mulham was able to net one more for the Tigers to close the gap to six, but it was a goal from Saint Joseph’s that launched the Tigers’ comeback run.
Blake, determined, scored three of the goals in a five-goal streak for Princeton. Mulham saw her fifth goal of the day, and sophomore midfielder Nina Montes added to the tally to make it 18–16 for the Hawks.
With under a minute left in the game, Princeton could see their gap closing and the possibility of a victory. With only 14 seconds left, however, the Hawks were able to snake by the Tigers’ defense for another goal, securing their win. First-year attacker Jami MacDonald finished the game with another goal for Princeton, making the final score 19–17 for a close Princeton loss.
The Tigers will face the Columbia Lions at home this Saturday April 8th, for their third Ivy League game of the season.
Evelyn Walsh is a staff writer for the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’
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