The women's lacrosse team crushed a lackluster Penn team, 13-8, last night at Villanova Stadium, proving its dominance between the two teams for the tenth time in a row.
The victory extended the Tigers' record to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the Ivy League while dropping the Quakers down to 5-9, 2-5, respectively.
Princeton, the defending national champion, wasted no time showing its bedazzled opponent that it hasn't lost its fire. The Tigers drove three goals into the back of the net from junior midfielder Mary Beth Hogan, sophomore attack Elizabeth Pillion, and sophomore midfielder Lindsey Biles before Penn could tiptoe onto the scoreboard with 20 minutes left in the first half.
The Quakers stole some of the steam for a short interval, with junior Lindsey Cassidy firing two shots in a row past sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Kolodner. But the Tigers came back ablaze with another three-goal run that closed off the half with Penn down, 8-5.
One of those three was a stunning up-and-over maneuver by senior Alex Fiore that left the Penn goalkeeper standing with an empty stick and an even emptier look on her face.
Fiore topped the statistics in other categories as well — she had four caused turnovers and two assists and scooped up eight ground balls. In the groundball category, senior Rachael Becker and Hogan registered five each.
Biles, who scored a game-high four goals, was proud of her team's performance. "We owned the midfield, had great transition, and really stepped it up on defense," she said. "We did a great job of spreading the ball around the field."
The other two scoring leaders were Pillion and sophomore attack Leigh Slonaker, who added three apiece. Junior attack Tara Hardiman also chipped in one goal.
The win was not just another glimmering stat in the Tigers' constantly expanding list of lacrosse feats. In order for them to have a chance to get a bid to the NCAA tournament, they had to beat Penn, and now they have to beat Dartmouth as well. That game will be held this Saturday in Hanover.
Currently, Dartmouth is ranked sixth, one spot above Princeton in the International Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association poll.
Because Princeton dropped one league game to Yale, the Big Green's undefeated league record gives Dartmouth an automatic share of the Ivy Title.
This Saturday's game, then, will decide not only who and how many will share the Ivy crown but which team will earn that coveted NCAA bid.
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