Six-game win streak on line vs. Ivy foes

Winning may not be everything, but it sure feels good, and the women’s lacrosse team knows it.

Boasting a season-opening six game win streak, including impressive wins against Virginia, Duke and Penn State, the No. 2 Tigers (6-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy League) have shown no signs of slowing down as they face off against Cornell (4-3, 1-1) tomorrow at home. This weekend’s game marks the beginning of a series of important Ivy League matchups, including clashes with Columbia, Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth.

“We are really geared up to begin our Ivy matches,” said junior attack Christine Casaceli, who scored the game-winner against Virginia last Saturday. “We definitely want to avenge last year’s losses, prove that our streak is more than just luck and make it all the way to the Ivy championships.”

In addition to holding a 26-2 series record over the Big Red, the Tigers head into the match knowing that Cornell enters the game on a three-game losing skid. Though Princeton has a history of wins on its side — the Big Red’s last victory came in 1988 — the danger for the Tigers seems to lie in them getting too cozy in their position on top.

“We have to be aware that we are one of the top teams in the country right now, and that this fact definitely pumps our opponents up,” senior attack and captain Ashley Amo said. “They want to bring us down badly, and though we aren’t going to be cocky, we are confident.”

Despite these worries, Princeton proved beyond doubt last weekend that it was a force to be reckoned with. Competing against then-No. 2 Virginia, the Tigers fought through a tight game as the clock wound down with the score tied at seven. Racing toward the final moments of the match, Princeton seemed to have wasted its final opportunity to score with a turnover in the final 15 seconds. Virginia, however, was called for offsides, and Casaceli quickly found the back of the Big Red’s net, winning the game 8-7 with just 2.7 seconds left.

In spite of its success last weekend, however, Princeton will need to focus on making sure its defensive zone performs flawlessly, as that is the area the Big Red attackers perform best in.

“Cornell likes to work the crease a lot, so we have to be hyper aware of their strengths in that area,” Amo said. “Ultimately, we need to play high-power defense if we are going to stop them from scoring.”

But if last year’s match is any indication of this year’s potential, Princeton is sitting pretty for a win. Last year the No. 9 Tigers dominated the field during the first half of the match, pulling ahead with an incredible 8-0 lead. Though the Big Red tallied a few goals to end the game 18-9, Princeton held a 33-26 edge in shots, including a 15-9 advantage during the first 30 minutes.

Though last year senior attack Katie Lewis-Lamonica and Amo dominated the game with four goals and an assist each, this year the Tigers’ strength seems to be a balanced offense  in which any player on the field can score at any time.

Lewis-Lamonica leads all Princeton players with 13 goals, but two other Tigers — junior midfielder Holly McGarvie and Casaceli — have more than 10 goals. Casaceli is first on the team in points, with 15.

“I think the fact that during the U.Va. game seven people scored eight says a lot,” Amo said of the offense. “Even if Cornell tries to shut down one attacker down completely, we will have another girl to take her place because our team is strong across the board. This makes us really dangerous.”

Needless to say, the Big Red will need to bring it all if it intends to douse Princeton’s fire. The game kicks off at 3 p.m. at Class of 1952 Stadium.