Women's Lacrosse: Rookies shine as Tigers open with defeat of Villanova

The women’s lacrosse team opened up regular season play on Saturday afternoon with a decisive 10-5 victory over Villanova. Princeton (1-0) came out strong defensively, holding the Wildcats (0-2) scoreless in the first half while it netted three goals. Though Villanova pulled the score within one early in the second half, the Tigers gained momentum and started dictating the pace and style of the game. The freshman class contributed in big ways all over the field, combining for six of Princeton’s 10 goals.

The weather was far from ideal this weekend, but sophomore goalie Annie Woehling said the Tigers focused on things they could control.

“It’s even more important on draws to get low and scoop through the ball [in the rain],” freshman attack Stephanie Paloscio said. “I think for goalies it can make bounce shots a little more difficult to save. That being said, we try not to think too much about the weather or any other conditions when playing; we just go out and play lacrosse.”

“It is always a little more challenging to play in wet conditions, especially because our sticks become slippery and our pockets bag out,” freshman midfielder Anya Gersoff said. “Considering both teams had to play in these conditions, I think the only major impact was that some play was a little sloppier than normal.”

Just over five minutes into the game, senior midfielder Charlotte Davis fired for the Tigers’ first goal of the season. The fierce Princeton defense caused Villanova to make several turnovers and prevented the Wildcats from getting settled on offense for over 10 minutes. The Tigers sent several shots at the goal, testing the Villanova goalie early on.

“I thought that our attack and midfield did a great job re-defending and causing turnovers in transition, which was something we have been working on at practice, so it was great to see that paying off,” Paloscio said.

Senior defender Caroline Rehfuss, running the ball down the field in transition early in the game, saw freshman attack Alexandra Bruno open on the far post across the eight-meter. They connected for a quick shot and the second goal of the game. Fifteen minutes ticked off the clock without a goal from either team, though the Tigers recorded seven shot attempts. With 3:37 remaining in the half, Paloscio drove in and shot from the edge of the crease to put Princeton ahead by three heading into halftime.

A solid and consistent effort by Woehling and the Princeton defense held the Wildcats scoreless for the entire half. Offensively, the Tigers said they were proud of their three goals but discussed how to improve their results in the second half.

“Our attack was not used to the defense played by Villanova,” Paloscio said. “At halftime, we recognized that their defense plays a different system than ours, the one we are used to at practice every day. We talked about different ways to beat it. I think our attack started to flow a little better as time went on and we grew more accustomed to the way they were sliding and pressuring us. We also started to finish our chances.”

Coming out of the locker room for the second half, Villanova started putting together a comeback. Ninety seconds into play, taking advantage of a man-up situation, the Wildcats earned their first goal of the day. A minute and a half later, Villanova converted a free position shot to cut the Tigers’ lead to just one. Momentum did not favor the visitors for long, however, as Princeton netted four unanswered goals in three minutes. Alexandra Bruno connected with junior attack Mary-Kate Sivilli, who sent a quick stick goal past the Villanova keeper. Princeton had a fast break opportunity, and senior midfielder Jenna Davis fed sophomore attack Erin McMunn, who finished in the high corner. Junior midfielder Sarah Lloyd grabbed the next draw, and 12 seconds later Davis fed Bruno, who was waiting unmarked on the crease and beat the goalie one-on-one. Senior attack Sam Ellis scored unassisted to put the Tigers ahead 7-2 with just over 22 minutes remaining.

“I think one of the greatest things about our team is the wide variety of talent we have,” Woehling said. “Each attacker has her own special approach to scoring goals, and this sort of breadth is difficult to defend. It is awesome we had three freshmen on the scoreboard, as well as our returning players. Having many people that are very capable of putting the ball in the back of the net is key to a successful offense, so you’re not just relying on one or two players to score.”

Gersoff and Paloscio agreed with Woehling, adding that each player has the opportunity to use her strengths to her advantage. Seven unique and dangerous attacking styles make Princeton a formidable opponent and present a tough job for the opponent’s defense to try and handle.

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For the rest of the game, Princeton and Villanova traded goals. The Wildcats had a pretty combination with a feed from behind and a quick-stick finish. Gersoff scored two unassisted goals back-to-back, putting the hosts ahead by six, the widest margin all game. Villanova answered with two goals, one off a crease roll and one off a free position. The Tigers were working the ball around on offense, waiting for a good scoring opportunity in order to minimize the risk of turning the ball over with only a few minutes left to play. With less than 12 seconds remaining, Paloscio drove in to the goal and scored the Tigers’ last goal of the game.

Woehling came up with several big saves on Saturday, tallying seven overall. Other noteworthy performances were Lloyd’s four draw controls and Rehfuss’ four caused turnovers.

The Tigers’ next competition will be Friday night at Georgetown (2-0). The Hoyas will be the first ranked opponent that Princeton faces this spring.

“For our next game against Georgetown, I think that we all hope to have gotten rid of our first game nerves, especially on attack,” Paloscio said. “Having longer possessions, taking care of the ball and finishing our chances are parts of our game that are going to be even more important in our future games.”