After six consecutive wins, women's lacrosse ready for drive to Ivy title

The women's lacrosse team will ride a wave of victory into Saturday's home game against Cornell.

On Wednesday afternoon, Princeton, currently ranked second in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Top 20 poll, mauled the Lions in a 17-1 win at Columbia. Princeton had complete control of the game from beginning to end, on both the defensive and offensive ends. It out-shot Columbia 27-7 and recovered 25 ground balls — almost twice as many as Columbia's 13.

Wednesday's game was very close to being the Tigers' second shutout in program history. The Lions did not score until 53 minutes, 19 seconds into the game.

Columbia was Princeton's first Ivy League victim of the season. With the win, the Tigers improve to 6-1 on the year (1-0 Ivy League).

The game was a great way for the Tigers to start Ivy League play. Princeton's intensity throughout the match was palpable, and its large margin of victory, established early in the game, allowed everyone to get playing time.

One of the most encouraging elements of Wednesday's game — in addition to the final score — was the high level of play from the bench. Players coming off the bench in the second half stayed within the game plan, made great defensive plays, won most of the draw controls, and, most importantly, received valuable game experience.

Princeton's convincing win against Columbia was by no means an anomaly in comparison to the rest of the games its has played so far this season. The Tigers pounded Penn State 17-8 on March 23, hammered Duke 13-5 on March 20, and tore apart Lafayette 18-7 on March 6. They also snatched wins against Loyola on March 10 and Virginia on March 17. Four of those wins were against nationally ranked squads (Loyola, Virginia, Duke and Penn State).

The only game the Tigers have lost was their first against IWLCA No. 1 Georgetown. Even that game, however, was a close one, ending in overtime as preseason No. 4 Georgetown edged out preseason No. 3 Princeton by a score of 15-13.

Although they have good reason to be confident going into Saturday's game against Cornell, the Tigers should not expect an easy victory.

Cornell is undefeated (5-0) on the season and 2-0 in the Ivy League, having defeated Columbia, 16-4, and Penn, 9-8. It continues to climb the IWLCA poll, and, at No. 9, has reached its highest position ever after jumping over league foe Dartmouth. Cornell and Princeton are currently the two highest-ranked Ivy teams.

The 2002 stats further indicate that the game will be a competitive one. Cornell currently averages 12.8 goals per game compared to Princeton's 14, while Cornell has allowed its opponents 6.4 goals compared to Princeton's 8.7. Cornell's scoring margin (6.4) is higher than Princeton's (5.3), but Princeton has out-shot Cornell 32-28.2. The teams are equal in average turnovers with 14 and within one of each other in average ground balls and goalkeeper saves.

The Big Red has a strong senior class, led by midfielder Jamie Reynolds. Two of the team's top returning senior have sat out with injuries most of the season, and at least one, Loir Wohlschlegel, will see action Saturday.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Cornell is especially eager to beat Princeton, for it must knock off the Tigers if it wants to snare an Ivy championship. But it will have to break a 14-game losing streak in its series against Princeton and win at Princeton for the first time in 17 years.

Both the Big Red and the Tigers are out for blood – or, rather, the Ivy League title. Saturday's showdown, set for noon at 1952 Stadium, could ultimately decide who gets it.

"Our team will come out hard on Saturday as we do in every game," head coach Chris Sailer said. "We'll need to play with intensity and fire, and to make the hustle plays that often turn the tide of the game.

"Like us, Cornell is a balanced team that is strong on both ends of the field and in the cage. It should be an exciting matchup with major implications for the Ivy title."