What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
After losing their opening game of the season, Princeton women’s lacrosse (7–1 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) has won seven straight games and sits at No. 10 in national rankings. Most recently, the Tigers defeated a rival mascot in the Towson Tigers (5–4 overall, 1–1 Coastal Athletic Association) by a score of 17–13.
"Our team's success in the seven game win streak is attributed to how much we want to win and go further this season than last," junior attacker Haven Dora told The Daily Princetonian. "We go into every game with a plan, and we have been staying disciplined and playing with cohesion all over the field."
The No. 6 Princeton men’s lacrosse (5–2, 1–1) faced another tough, top-10 RPI matchup in their battle against the No. 12 Harvard Crimson (5–2, 1–1) on Saturday afternoon, but came out ahead 13–11.
Triumphing over Towson
Princeton opened the first quarter firing, with senior attacker McKenzie Blake netting two quick goals and senior midfielder Sophie Whiteway adding a third just three minutes into gameplay.
"We fought hard from the first whistle," Dora said to the 'Prince.' "We got an early lead that helped us throughout the game."
Towson responded with two goals, bringing the score to 3–2. After a defensive battle for the latter part of the opening quarter, the teams each exchanged goals, with junior attacker Jami MacDonald scoring for Princeton, bringing the score to 4–2 at the first break.
Back and forth scoring ensued in the second quarter, with Towson fighting to equalize the scoreboard. Two Princeton free position goals by Dora and sophomore attacker Meg Morrisroe shifted the momentum, opening a 5–0 offensive run for the Tigers. At halftime, Princeton was ahead 10–5, led by a hat trick from Dora.
Coming out of the break, the Tigers continued to stunt the Towson offense, resulting in a 15-minute scoring drought extending from the middle of the second quarter to the early third. After Whiteway tacked on her second goal for Princeton, Towson was finally able to break through, scoring to make the score 11–6.
Princeton was seemingly unfazed, though, and embarked on a 3–0 run, including a coast-to-coast play beginning with a save from junior goalkeeper Amelia Hughes.
Hughes now had 69 saves in eight games for the Tigers, with a 51 percent save percentage, compared to 41 percent last season.
Late in the third quarter, Towson was able to find their footing, challenging Princeton’s dominant defense and scoring three unanswered goals. However, heading into the final quarter of play, Princeton still held a 15–9 lead.
Towson broke the ice in the second quarter with two goals, cutting Princeton’s lead to four. Back and forth scoring ensued, with Princeton continuously fighting to keep Towson at a distance. Luckily for the Tigers, Blake was able to take the reins and close out the game with her fifth and sixth goals, leading Princeton to a 17–13 victory. Blake is high on Princeton’s all-time scoring lists, sitting at No. 4 with 181 goals, and at No. 7 in all-time career points with 208.
Princeton will take on their second in-conference opponent next Saturday, March 29, away against the Yale Bulldogs (7–2, 1–1).
"We know going into this week of preparation and for the game this weekend, the Ivy League is super competitive this year," Dora told the 'Prince.' "Our best strategy will be to utilize our strengths and not let the opposing team dictate what we do."
Controlling the Crimson
Princeton got off to a quick start in the first quarter and ensured the Tigers emerged victorious. After conceding the first goal of the game, they netted five goals past the Crimson, and from there, the margin was never less than two.
Turnovers were always going to be a key issue for the Tigers. Despite coming in at No. 2 before the game for fewest turnovers per game, the Crimson were ranked No. 6 in the nation in caused turnovers per game.
On the night, the Crimson won both the turnover and caused turnover battles, but the Tigers’ defense prevented Harvard from winning the game on this alone. Despite going into the game as the No. 1 ranked team for offensive efficiency and scoring 15 goals per game, the Crimson were stifled by the Tigers’ defense and junior goalie Ryan Croddick, who made 17 saves on the day.
Senior attacker Coulter Mackesy scored the Tigers’ fifth goal of the quarter, and he became the fourth different Tiger to score in the game. With this goal, he netted Princeton’s 13th shot, equalling Harvard’s shot tally for the game so far. Princeton began an attacking surge, as earlier in the quarter they had just three shots to the Crimson’s eight.
In the second quarter, the Tigers kept their strong lead, with sophomore midfielder Tucker Wade scoring with a minute and a half left.
Sophomore attacker Nate Kabiri started to steal the show in the second half as he opened the Tigers’ scoring and gave them their largest lead of the game at 9–4. He would add another goal and two assists throughout the half. Kabiri also scored a goal in the opening possession of the fourth before assisting senior midfielder Sean Cameron’s only goal of the game from behind the net.
The four-goal deficit proved too much for the Crimson to overcome, and the Tigers would see out the game 13–11, with the Crimson’s two goals late in the fourth not being enough to mount a comeback.
Throughout the game, the Tigers capitalized on both opportunities when they were a man up, with a goal on each occasion from senior attacker Braedon Saris and Mackesy, respectively. Taking advantage of moments like these and winning the faceoff battle 17–10 proved pivotal in the Tigers’ victory.
The Tigers will face No. 20 Dartmouth (7–1, 1–0) next Saturday, March 29 at 12 p.m. in Hanover, N.H. Princeton will be hoping to right the ship in the Ivy League and secure a winning record with a victory on the day.
Alex Beverton-Smith is a head Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Lily Pampolina is an associate Sports editor and staff Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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