With the women's lacrosse team just over halfway through its season, it is a good time to stop and reflect on how things are going.
But there's really no need for nuanced analysis. As Tony the Tiger might say, things for the women's lacrosse team – ranked No. 1 in the country as of yesterday – are going, simply, g-r-r-r-r-eat.
Princeton's record stands at 9-1 on the season (3-0 Ivy League). And it isn't as though the team's schedule has been a cakewalk. Six of the Tigers' 10 games, and five of their nine victories, have been against teams now ranked in the top 10.
Princeton took over the No. 1 ranking in yesterday's IWLCA poll, switching places with Georgetown after the Hoyas lost to now-No. 4 North Carolina over the weekend. The Tigers are also first in the Ivy League; No. 5 Cornell and No. 12 Yale, both of whom Princeton defeated easily this season, are tied for second.
The team's play has been characterized by domination on both offense and defense. So far the Tigers have outscored their opponents 145-76, taking 311 shots to their opponents' 195. (Even in games against current top 10 teams, Princeton has outscored its opponents 82-57.) On the other side of the ball, the feisty Tiger defense has caused 120 turnovers to their opponents' 76, and the team's goalies, freshman Sarah Kolodner and sophomore Meghan McInnes, have a combined 71 saves.
To be so completely dominant a team cannot rely solely on a few standouts. The Tigers have gotten contributions from everyone on the roster. Every player has seen playing time in at least two games, and 16 different players have scored at least once this season — only four players listed at attack or midfield have yet to net a goal. That depth has been one of the keys to Princeton's success thus far, and it's always difficult to select standouts from such a balanced squad.
Nevertheless, there are certain members of the women's lacrosse team whose performances so far this season have been particularly outstanding. Here are the unofficial Daily Princetonian midseason awards.
All-Around MVP/Deion Sanders Award
Sophomore attack Theresa Sherry leads the team and the Ivy League in points (33) and goals (25) on the season.
For the second week in a row, she has been named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week. Sherry netted four goals and had one assist in the team's 11-5 victory over Yale last weekend. No slacker on defense, Sherry has also caused 11 turnovers this year. When not playing lacrosse last fall, she led the women's soccer team in scoring with 7 goals.
Offensive MVP
Senior attack Lauren Simone is second on the team and third in the Ivy League in points, with 23 goals on the season and six assists. She scored six goals in the team's 17-8 victory over No. 10 Penn State and four in the team's 17-6 rout of Delaware. Simone, second-team All-America last year, has been named a candidate for this year's Tewaaraton Trophy. The trophy is given by the University Club of Washington, D.C. at the end of each collegiate season to the top female and male varsity lacrosse players in the United States, and is the most prestigious award a varsity lacrosse player can receive.
Defensive MVP
Junior defender Rachael Becker is this week's Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, after holding Yale's leading goal scorer to just one goal and causing the Elis to commit six turnovers. Becker leads the Tigers with 23 caused turnovers on the season, and has picked up 23 ground balls. She was first-team All-America last season, and is also a candidate for this year's Tewaaraton Trophy.
Rookie of the Year
Freshman goalie Sarah Kolodner has started off her collegiate career with a bang, playing in all 10 games this season and starting in eight.
She is undefeated as a starter, with 56 saves. She has allowed just 45 goals, giving her a .554 save percentage and a 6.08 goals against average and putting her near the top of the Ivy League, behind only one other goalie both in total statistics and Ivy statistics.
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