Hunt for the hardware: Princeton looks to top Terps

As the women's lacrosse team walked off the field last season after losing the National Championship game to No. 1 Maryland, the Tigers knew that they had accomplished something special.

Only a year after losing attack Cristi Samaras '99 — Princeton's all-time leading scorer — Princeton was not expecting to leap from its preseason No. 9 ranking all the way up to second and then march through the NCAA Tournament all the way to the finals.

This year, the Tigers' hopes are high from the beginning.

"Last year we gained a lot of confidence in our ability and learned that we were one of the best teams in the country," senior midfielder Julie Shaner said. "This year we have some expectations on us, but we are not treating this year any differently than last year."

The main goals for Princeton this season are to reach the two plateaus that eluded the Tigers last season — the Ivy League championship and the national championship. Princeton fell to Dartmouth 16-13 last season in the game that determined the league champion. What made the loss all the more difficult was that it came after holding a 13-10 lead with only two minutes to play.

"The lesson we learned last year against [Maryland and Dartmouth] is that you have to be on top of your game for the full 60 minutes," Shaner said.

Princeton's offense remains intact from last season with the return of juniors Kim Smith and second-team preseason All-America Lauren Simone. Simone and Smith both had 57 points last season and will be joined up front by fellow junior Charlotte Kenworthy who tallied 40 points last year.

"Our attack unit is must stronger this year," Shaner said. "We have a lot more experience playing with each other, and we are a lot smarter."

The playmaker for the offense will be Shaner, Princeton's only first-team preseason All-America. Shaner will bring her speed, scoring and leadership to the midfield this season after scoring 44 points last year. On a team endowed with a strong junior class, Shaner will be one of the few seniors who will log significant playing time this season.

While the offense is going to be a Tiger strong point this season, the defense will have to display the same kind of team play that made it so successful. Head coach Chris Sailer, taking a page out of men's coach Bill Tierney's playbook last spring, installed a swarming defense that stalled opposing offenses all last season. After practicing the defense for a season the Tigers look to keep up the defensive pressure.

While the offense will look much the same as it did last year, the defense will include a couple of new faces. Junior defender Jess Nelson will be leading the defense after earning Second-Team All-America honors this preseason. Nelson will bring her speed and stickwork to the defense to try to be a stable presence in the back for the Tigers.

Taking over for Hilary Maddox '00 as the leader of the defensive half of the midifeld and the player whose job it is to start the transition will be freshman Theresa Sherry. Sherry has already proven herself in an orange and black uniform, having led the women's soccer team with eight goals in the fall.

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The goalie position will be one of the unknowns for the Tigers this season as freshman Meghan McInnes steps in for Laura Field '00. McInnes is the only experienced goalie on the squad this season and faces the pressure accompanying the expectations of the team. The freshman is experienced playing in high level competition, however, after playing as the starting netminder for the U.S. 18-and-under National Team last year.

"There's a lot of pressure on Meghan being the only goalie," Shaner said. "She's really adjusting well to the college game so far."

Last year, three of the four Tiger losses were to either Maryland or Dartmouth. This year, Princeton has its sights set on playing one game at a time, but don't be surprised if the Tigers have April 21 and 25 — the days Princeton travels to Dartmouth and Maryland — circled on their calendars looking for a little bit of revenge.