When the NCAA women's lacrosse tournament started today, there were three Ivy League teams, all in the same bracket. With Dartmouth beating Penn State, 9-7, this afternoon, and Princeton decimating Cornell in the Class of 1952 Stadium, 14-4, only two remain. The stage is now set for a rematch Sunday in Hanover, N.H. Only two weeks ago, these two teams squared off, with the Big Green stunning the Tigers, 13-5, to win the Ivy championship.
Cornell made their first appearance in the tournament ever, and waiting for them were the fifth-seeded and Ivy league rival Tigers, who are 7-0 overall in first round games.
The game began on a positive note for Cornell. They capitalized on Princeton's inability to hold on to the ball in the offensive end, and Big Red captain Ginny Miles juked right and fired a shot between the legs of freshman goalkeeper Meghan McInnes, giving the Big Red their only lead of the day.
Cornell continued to look strong, winning the next draw, but a defensive stop by sophomore defense Rachael Becker caused a turnover and gave Princeton a chance to set up its offense. As the team spread itself out and began its slashing cuts through the crease, sophomore attack Whitney Miller found sophomore midfielder Alex Fiore for the Tigers' first goal of the day. From there on out, Princeton had utter control of the field and Cornell.
As Big Red goalie Carrie Giancola tried to make a pass to midfield after a save, freshman attack Theresa Sherry intercepted it and sprinted half the length of the field for a one-on-one showdown with Giancola. Sherry's speed and aim put the ball past the goalie, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
Princeton then went on a scoring spree, a hallmark of its 10-game winning streak earlier this season.
Junior attack Charlotte Kenworthy took a bullet pass from junior midfield Mimi Hammerberg, spun in the middle of the defense and fired a shot past Giancola. Then after a save from McInnes, Princeton set up its offense, and junior attack Lauren Simone flew in from the left, putting the ball in the cage over the right shoulder of the Cornell goalie. Less than two minutes later, Simone passed off to Kenworthy in the middle of the Big Red defense on a quick flash cut, and Kenworthy tallied another marker, stretching the lead to 5-1.
The Tigers scored three more times, with goals from Fiore, junior attack Nina Carbone and Miller. Cornell then pulled goalie Giancola, whose season save percentage of 57.6 was not holding up against the aggressive Tiger offense, and replaced her with freshman Ashley Charron.
If Princeton felt pity for the rookie, it didn't show it. The Tigers set up in their offense, slowing the tempo and controlling the ball, while the Big Red packed their defense inside the crease, trying to protect the new goalie. But it didn't work. Taking the pass from senior attack Julie Shaner amidst four Cornell defenders with her back to the goal, Sherry flipped the ball over her shoulder, and it found nothing but net.
The Big Red refused to give in, though, pressing its offense forward. Cornell got two consecutive shots, one finding its way past McInnes. The half ended with Princeton on top of Cornell, 9-2.
The second half was no different than the first, with the Tigers continuing to maul the Big Red. As the pressure began to build for Cornell to make a comeback, it went to a pressing one-on-one defense. As a result, Princeton's spread offense became more effective with slashing attacks, and the score at the end of the game showed it, so Princeton moved onto the second round of play.
With junior attack Kim Smith out for the game due to an illness, other players had to assume the role of scorers, and nine different players did. Sherry tallied three goals, with Simone, Fiore and Kenworthy scoring two apiece. Shaner led the team with three assists, and McInnes had five saves to Cornell's combined three.
"I just thought it was a great game," head coach Chris Sailer said. "Everything was great, all-around good hustle today."
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