New assistant gives women's lax edge in offseason preparations

Missy Holmes sat in the stands during the women's lacrosse national championship between Princeton and Maryland and screamed support — for the Terrapins.

The 1997 Maryland graduate watched tensely as the Tigers danced off the field at halftime, daring to dream with a slim 4-3 edge. And she roared as Princeton unraveled during the final minutes, furnishing the Terrapins with their fourth straight title.

There is a strong possibility that Holmes will witness a rematch this season. But this time, she will be standing on the other sideline.

Head coach Chris Sailer hired Holmes to be an assistant this season, a minor tweaking to a team that expects to challenge powerhouse Maryland for the NCAA title again.

Despite the Tigers' shoddy second half last season — strewn with slow slides and missed assignments — there is reason to believe that this year could be different.

A young team that appeared almost awed by its halftime lead is now experienced and eager to encounter the Terrapins again.

"We talk about how we want to get back there this year," junior attack Lauren Simone said.

But, she admitted, "We talk mostly about the first half — because that was really positive for us — and kind of black out the second half."

The team will be bolstered by the addition of eight freshmen, including projected starting goalie Meghan McInnis.

But there are also 12 upperclassmen returning — in stark contrast to last year's team. And unlike last season, when only one player had been to the Final Four, a slew of Tigers are now familiar with the postseason.

Holmes has already begun helping her new team integrate the freshmen into the team's strategies.

But the one-time Terrapin has had to make some mental adjustments.

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"The thing is, being a player for Maryland — Princeton's always been one of our biggest rivals," she said. "It wasn't hard, but weird, coming here."

And the team has not let her forget.

"I think they started out giving me a hard time," Holmes said. "A little bit of razzing."

She shows players skills and they innocently ask, "Is that how they do it at Maryland?"

"We always tease her about being from Maryland just because they beat us in the national championship game," Simone said. "But we also kind of use that to our advantage. She's from Maryland, she's got great skills and she knows a lot about the game."

The Tigers were able to test their team when they took on the U.S. Developmental team this fall. Though they lost, 14-9, Princeton was encouraged by its performance.

"A lot of things came together in that game," Holmes said.

The play of McInnis was especially impressive. Darting out of the goal to pluck poorly-conceived passes, pick up loose balls, and consistently covering her angles, McInnis remained calm.

It was a mature game for the freshman — but McInnis is not the only one.

Theresa Sherry, a leading scorer for the women's soccer team this fall, will slip into a midfield position. She will be joined by Mary Beth Hogan and Katie Norbury, while Katie Coyne is expected to contribute on defense.

"All of our freshmen — they're not intimidated," junior attack Kim Smith said. "You know watching the team. You probably couldn't tell the freshmen from the returners because we all fit in well together."

Holmes agreed.

"I think one of the reasons why Princeton does so well against Maryland is that they're not intimidated when they're playing them," Holmes said. "That was obvious in the final game last year. I think the more people think about how to beat Maryland, they're already a step behind."

But with the added experience and the infusion of Holmes and the freshmen, Princeton is hoping it has stepped ahead.