On an uncharacteristically warm winter day in Newark, Delaware, women’s lacrosse clinched a narrow 15–14 road victory against the Delaware Fighting Blue Hens. After squandering a huge first-quarter lead, it looked like Delaware was going to upset the No. 13 ranked Tigers for the first time in ten years. Princeton, however, ultimately pulled off a last-second goal to secure their first road win of the season.
Princeton got off to a hot start, with junior attacker Jami MacDonald netting the first goal of the game just one and a half minutes in off an assist from fellow junior attacker Haven Dora. This dynamic duo quickly followed up with another goal just 18 seconds later.
“I think we came out with a lot of energy and did a great job setting the tone early,” MacDonald wrote to The Daily Princetonian.
Twenty seconds after an apparent goal by Delaware was called back for a crease violation, MacDonald and Dora scored their third combo goal of the game, giving MacDonald an early hat trick and extending the Tigers’ lead to 3–0.
“My teammates, especially Haven, put me in great positions to capitalize, and we were really clicking offensively,” MacDonald continued in an email to the ‘Prince.’
Not thirty seconds later, senior attacker McKenzie Blake got her first goal of the game, her eleventh in just three games. She extended the Tigers’ lead yet again a minute and a half later, sprinting in front of the goal and flipping the ball past Delaware goalkeeper Steph Marszal to make it 5–0.
Although the Hens attempted to cause havoc by forcing several turnovers, they were frustrated by the organized Princeton defense. The Tigers continued their relentless attack, with senior midfielder Sophie Whiteway whipping the ball around Marszal to bring the Tigers up 6–0 with four minutes left in the quarter.
“We started off really strong, but they are a tough team who came to win,” Dora wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “They fought hard and made us fight harder.”
Delaware managed to get their first goal of the game, but Blake responded for Princeton a minute and a half later, matching MacDonald’s first-quarter hat trick status. Setting up Blake’s goal, Dora achieved her fifth assist of the game, bringing her to a career 100 points as the Tigers ended the quarter 7–1.
The Tigers looked to extend an extremely dominant first quarter into the next fifteen minutes of play. The teams traded possessions, but Princeton built its largest lead of the game at 9–2. However, Delaware responded with four unanswered goals, cutting the deficit to 9–6 by halftime.
After a free-position save by Marszal, Blake netted her fifth goal of the game off another assist from Dora, extending Princeton’s lead to four over the Hens. With her seventh assist of the game, Dora set an all-time game assist record — a career night for her.
“It feels really good to set the program record for assists,” Dora told the ‘Prince.’ “I always have my head up, scanning the field, trying to set my teammates up for success, and setting this record is not something I could accomplish without my teammates.”
After having a seven-point lead towards the end of the first quarter, Princeton entered the last 15 minutes of the game with just a two-goal lead over Delaware. A free-position opportunity was initially blocked by the Princeton defense, but the Hens kept the ball in play as Delaware’s Delaney McDaniel netted a goal to narrow their deficit to just one — the closest gap they’d had since minute two of the game.
Less than 50 seconds later, sophomore attacker Meg Morrisroe scored her first goal of the game. But this was quickly followed up by another McDaniel goal to bring the score to 12–11. As the Tigers struggled to rebuild their lead, junior keeper Amelia Hughes made a crucial save — her tenth of the night.
Both teams scored again, but the Tigers’ lead would not last for long. Dora received a yellow card and was sent off the field for two minutes, and Delaware capitalized on their man-to-man advantage, tying the score at thirteen with just six minutes left in the game. Another card was issued to Princeton moments later, and Delaware took advantage, as McDaniel squeaked the ball past Hughes with just two minutes left to bring the score to 13–14, putting Delaware in the lead for the first time in the game.
After calling a timeout, the Tigers returned from the huddle ready to strike, as Blake slid the ball into the net for her sixth goal of the match, tying her career high. With the score at 14–14 and the seconds ticking away, Princeton faced the possibility of sudden death overtime if they failed to put another goal on the scoreboard in the next thirty seconds.
First-year midfielder Maggie Bacigalupo won the crucial draw, granting possession to Princeton with one minute left in the game. After a missed attempt by first-year attacker Grace Mulham, the Tigers maintained possession. With the score tied and just ten seconds left on the clock, MacDonald spun and buried the ball into the net, securing a 15–14 game for the Tigers.
“Scoring that game-winning goal was an incredible feeling, as it showcased the hard work my team put in, especially in those final two minutes,” MacDonald reflected.
What started as a lopsided game turned into a nail-biting matchup, but Princeton ultimately pulled out the win to beat Delaware.
“I am glad we came out with the win,” Dora told the ‘Prince.’ “But we have to be ready for practice tomorrow to improve as a team all over the field and get ready for our next opponent.”
Going forward, Princeton will hope to build on their two-game win streak as they face Hofstra on Saturday at Sherrerd Field.
Leila Eshaghpour-Silberman is a staff Sports writer and contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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