In a sport where the better team usually prevails, the No. 3 Princeton women's lacrosse team should not have lost to No. 10 Dartmouth. Yet somehow the Tigers' nemesis once again ended Princeton's drive for an undefeated Ivy League record.
....With 27 turnovers, Dartmouth (11-1, 6-1) played a sloppy game, but its aggressive offense and superb defense made up for its mistakes as the Big Green steamrolled the Tigers (11-2, 5-1), 13-5. Dartmouth allowed only two Tiger goals in the first 53 minutes, killing Princeton's 10-game winning streak.
"We did not have one specific problem through the game," sophomore attack Whitney Miller, who was the Tigers' leading scorer with one goal and one assist, said. "We never found our rhythm and we were not playing as a team. Our offense was never in sync and we just got down quickly."
Dartmouth attack Jen Newitt scored the first goal of the game with 26 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the first half. The goal came off a free position shot, as Dartmouth took advantage of one of Princeton's 17 fouls.
After a brief lull in scoring, Dartmouth's star attack Suzy Gibbons began to dominate the game. At 18:41, Gibbons scored the first of her five goals. Gibbons also added an assist, making her the leading scorer on the day with six points.
Forty-two seconds after Gibbons' goal, Dartmouth extended the lead to three as Alison Moulin slammed a shot past freshman keeper Meghan McInnes.
Finding holes in Princeton's defense, the Big Green used the next five minutes to dominate the Tigers and to build a large lead into the half. At 16:16, Gibbons scored her second goal of the afternoon, making the score 4-0.
But Princeton finally struck back when junior Lauren Simone slipped a shot past Dartmouth goalie Sarah Hughes with 15:26 remaining in the half.
This Princeton goal did not deter Dartmouth, as three minutes later Amy Frazier scored her first goal of the game, making the score 5-1. The Princeton defense held Dartmouth quiet for the next 10 minutes, but at 2:34, Kate Killen of Dartmouth put another ball past McInnes, and pushed Dartmouth's lead to five, with a score of 6-1.
With one of the their largest deficits of the year at halftime, Princeton knew it had a difficult task for the rest of the game.
The Tigers began the second half with their usual intensity. Junior Kim Smith, Princeton's leading goal scorer, finally made her impact as she scored her first goal of the game with 27:07 left in the half. But Dartmouth took the momentum back when Amy Zimmer scored an unassisted goal at 26:26, making the score 7-2.
Seeing the opportunity to put Princeton away, Gibbons scored her third goal of the game ten seconds later. With a six-goal lead, Dartmouth slowed the pace of play and continued its intense defense, keeping the potent Princeton offense quiet.
Dartmouth, on the other hand, was far from quiet, and the Big Green piled five more goals on the scoreboard in the next 10 minutes to take a commanding 13-2 lead.
When the Princeton offense finally woke up with just over six minutes to play, their chance for victory had long since passed. A goal each from junior Mimi Hammerberg, Miller and freshman Theresa Sherry, served only to make the score slightly more respectable.
"We were really prepared for the game, and we had a great warm-up, but they just beat us," Miller said.
While Princeton's offense never found its rhythm during the game, a major component to Princeton's lack of points was the play of Dartmouth's goalkeeper. Hughes made 17 saves on the day, while McInnes had only six.
McInnes had overcome her early-season jitters, but seemed to have some problems against the potent and balanced Big Green attack.
With one loss in the Ivy League now, the Tigers will have to win the rest of their Ivy League games to have a share of the championship. As of Saturday, there is a three-way tie for first place in the league, as Princeton, Dartmouth and Yale all have one Ivy League loss.
"This could be the best thing for us right now, with Maryland [whom Princeton will play Wednesday] and the NCAA tournament coming up," Miller said. "We had not been playing very well recently and we had been winning on talent and athleticism. This will make us focus even more in practice and I think we will play even better against Maryland because of it."
Read More
What’s an offseason? Jackson Green and Jay Mentink on being multi-sport athletes at Princeton
Doug SchwartzPrinceton sophomores Jackson Green and Jay Mentink embrace the challenge of playing two Division I sports while tackling Ivy League academics head-on.
Princeton sophomores Jackson Green and Jay Mentink embrace the challenge of playing two Division I sports while tackling Ivy League academics head-on.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse routs No. 14 Towson 22–12, Mackesy breaks career goals record
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in 2022. Princeton will take on No. 5 Syracuse in Hempstead, N.Y., next weekend for a spot in the final four.
With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in 2022. Princeton will take on No. 5 Syracuse in Hempstead, N.Y., next weekend for a spot in the final four.
Senior Coulter Mackesy, Pace Billings ’24, and Sam English ’23 drafted to Premier Lacrosse League
Hayk YengibaryanThe PLL, founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, is North America’s professional lacrosse league. The league currently features eight teams that compete in a tour-based format, traveling to different cities each weekend throughout the summer season.
The PLL, founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, is North America’s professional lacrosse league. The league currently features eight teams that compete in a tour-based format, traveling to different cities each weekend throughout the summer season.