The women's lacrosse team, currently on a two-game winning streak, has had no trouble bouncing back after its overtime loss to Georgetown in the season opener Mar. 3.
The following Wednesday, the Tigers smashed Lafayette at Class of 1952 Stadium in a resounding 18-7 victory, and then proceeded to Baltimore to beat Loyola, 10-6.
Ultimately, the purpose of these early games, and the ones coming up in the next few weeks against Virginia (Mar. 17), Duke (Mar. 20) and Penn State (Mar. 23), are to prepare the Tigers for that ultimate goal of taking on the Ivy League – and increasing their five first-place seasons to six.
Here's what Princeton can expect this year from the other Ivy teams as they battle for the title and the resulting automatic bid to the NCAA tournament:
Dartmouth
Since 1994, ownership of the Ivy championship has bounced between two teams: Princeton and Dartmouth. Last year, they played each other twice, the first time ending in a resounding 13-5 Dartmouth victory and the second ending with Princeton's 10-4 triumph in the NCAA quarterfinals.
So it is not surprising that the Big Green will be the team to beat in 2002, even though it lost six letterwinners to graduation.
Returning to the squad are senior co-captains and veteran defenders Katy Cuneo and Jen Newitt. They, along with the three-year starting goalie Sarah Hughes, who is Dartmouth's all-time leader in saves, will make up a stalwart defensive line that will be difficult for Princeton to break through.
The offense, led by senior midfielder Alison Moulin, a first team All-Ivy selection in 2001 and the Big Green's leading scorer, will not be easy to defend either.
Yale
Yale went 5-2 in the Ivies in 2001, losing only to Princeton and Cornell and defeating No. 1 Dartmouth. Last season's leading scorer, sophomore midfielder Miles Whitman, returns to lead the offense, along with junior attack Clarissa Clark, who received an honorable mention All-Ivy selection last year.
On the defensive end, Yale boasts its senior captain Megan Strenski, a 2001 Academic All-Ivy selection, along with senior CK Barber and junior Amanda Laws competing for time in goal.
Cornell
The Big Red remain ranked No. 10 for the second straight week in the latest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association poll. The team's biggest strength this year seems to be its balanced scoring, as 11 different players have netted goals to bring its preseason record to 2-0. Cornell's 20-6 triumph over Stanford in the season opener was one of the top scoring efforts in team history.
Junior scoring leader Sarah Fischer returns to the starting lineup next to seven senior field players, who have combined for 22 varsity letters, as well as senior goalie Carrie Giancola, who is second all-time at Cornell with 343 career saves.
Penn
The Quakers finished last season 3-4 in the Ivy League. They return junior attack Kate Murray, who started all 17 games in 2001 and led the team with 30 goals. In their season opener against No. 9 James Madison, Murray scored six goals, including the game winner with 2:13 left in the fourth overtime.
Senior attack Jen Hartman and junior midfielder Crissy Brook are the other notable veterans of Penn's attack. They are the second and third leading scorers on the team, respectively. After a 14-5 win over Lafayette last Friday, the Quakers remain undefeated in the preseason with a 2-0 record.
Brown
The Bears finished the 2001 season with an unthreatening 2-5 record. But back in goal this year will be senior Niki Caggiano. Last year she broke Brown's all-time record in saves, and her .615 save percentage placed her fifth in the nation and No. 1 in the Ivy League.
In the season opener against Colgate, Caggiano's 17 saves and sophomore midfielder Christine Anneberg's four goals contributed to the Bears' solid 16-3 triumph over the Red Raiders.
Columbia
A problem with Columbia in recent seasons has been the relative inexperience and lack of depth in its lineup. In 2001, the Lions started five freshmen, includ ing lone goalie Jessica Valadez who was required to play every minute of every game.
This year, however, two first-year goalies have been added to the squad, and freshman Moira O'Toole has already netted seven goals in those three games. The team's improved depth has already revealed itself in Columbia's undefeated 3-0 record so far this season, with wins over Manhattan, Wagner and Bucknell.
Harvard
In 2001, Harvard won only a single game in the Ivy League. It has not had a strong start this season either, losing 9-5 to UMass in the season opener. It will be a few more years of rebuilding before the Crimson will be a serious threat to the Tigers.
Princeton's first Ivy League game will be March 27, when the Tigers travel to New York to take on Columbia.
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