Women's lax seeks to topple Big Green, earn bid to 'Big Dance'

For most programs, having a player named preseason second team All-America would be an honor, but for the women's lacrosse team it represents something different. Without a dominating group of players, the Tigers will have to rely on team unity to get back to the top.

"This is the first time in a while that we have only had one preseason All-America," head coach Chris Sailer said. "We lost a lot of great individual players, but we're replacing that with a team concept on offense and defense."

Junior midfielder Julie Shaner is that returning All-America player and looks to lead a Princeton attack that in the past has had trouble scoring goals. She showed her offensive leadership with four goals in Saturday's 11-9 scrimmage win over No. 7 James Madison.

The win over JMU was a big win for the Tigers' momentum as they had very little idea how the team would respond to the challenge of a top 10 team.

"Before the scrimmage I wasn't sure whether the team was for real, but there could be some opportunities for us this year," Sailer said.

Shaner is looking to pick up the offensive slack after the graduation of one of Princeton's best classes ever. The biggest loss for Princeton will be Ivy League Player of the Year and first team All-America Cristi Samaras '99, who set school records in career points and goals. The Tigers also lost attacker Tice Burke '99, one of Princeton's most potent offensive weapons, and All-America Lucy Small '99 who anchored the defense.

"We're going to have to give the team a new look this year with the loss of such great individuals," Sailer said.

Last year's team led Princeton to a 12-5 record last season and a second place finish in the Ivy League after a heartbreaking 8-7 loss to champion Dartmouth. While the Big Green boast a No. 4 preseason ranking this season and are the favorite to repeat as Ivy champs, the young Tiger squad is looking to play an upset role and take the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament that comes with the Ivy title.

The Tigers are trying to employ a new high-pressure defensive scheme this season, the fundamentals of which Sailer learned from men's head coach Bill Tierney.

The leader of this new scheme will be senior captain and defender Molly Hall, who will be playing her first season as a starter. Hall will rely on her strong leadership skills and view of the field to make sure the new scheme works. Freshman Rachel Becker comes into the season as a starter and will bring her speed and skill to the new defensive scheme as well.

"I think we really were able to confuse Madison last weekend with our defense," Sailer said. "Hopefully, it will be that strong all year."

Senior Laura Field will take over in net for Princeton after sharing time for the last three years with Amber Mettler '99. Field was the primary starter her first two years, but ended up sitting behind Mettler last year after the senior came into her own and dominated for much of the season.

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Field will have junior Jennie Platt backing her up. Platt — a three year soccer player who has never played lacrosse — has been picking up the system this spring and will provide support in case Field can not play.

A four-year starter, midfielder Hilary Maddox will be the other Tiger captain this season and will bring her strong all-around game to the midfield, hoping to improve on her offensive totals from last year.

"Hilary's always been good on the defensive end and in transition, but we're going to need some more offensive output from her this year," Sailer said. "She's scored 12 or 13 points each of her first three years and we're looking for her to double that this season."

While defense has always been the team's strength, Princeton has often had trouble putting the ball in the back of the net. The offense will be led by Shaner and the sophomore attacking duo of Charlotte Kenworthy and Kim Smith. The pair played an important role on last year's team and will have to step up for the Tigers to excel this season.

After a No. 4 national ranking last season and a tough second-round loss to Penn State in the NCAA Tournament, a retooled Princeton team is hungry to get back to the top. While experience is not prevalent on the squad as in years past, the team unity and the desire to win in this year's Tigers could bring Princeton back to the top.