They drove south from rustic Hanover, N.H. with elaborate expectations, but at the end of the day the Dartmouth women's lacrosse team was left with little but a long bus ride home. In Saturday's clash of two Ivy lacrosse titans, the Princeton women prevailed decisively, 17-8.
Both the Tigers (14-0 overall, 6-0 Ivy League) and the Big Green (9-3, 6-1) had much to gain from a win. Not only did Princeton take a big step towards an undefeated conference record, but the Tigers also secured the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and at least a share of the league title. They also maintained bragging rights in a heated rivalry. These stakes produced a game that was every bit as physical and intense as one might expect.
Initially, Dartmouth throttled Princeton's usual offensive weapons with a debilitating double-team strategy and a ball control offense. It was a classic case of Christian versus the Tigers, as the Big Green's Katieanne Christian scored four goals in the first half, including the first two of the game. Dartmouth effectively used both long possessions with many screens and tempo changes to fool the Princeton defense, leaving Tiger junior goalie Sarah Kolodner to face pointblank shots.
After Princeton head coach Chris Sailer called a timeout to settle her team, the Tigers responded with their first goal. At 23 minutes, 38 seconds in the first half, junior midfielder Elizabeth Pillion made a quick run and launched a shot that zipped by Big Green goalie Devon Wills' right side. Princeton then exploded with its first of three major scoring strings, recording four straight goals to capture a lead they would never relinquish.
"We expected them to double us early and that it might be tough for some of our top scorers to get one-on-ones," Sailer said, "but we really started trying to pop in to the open spaces and to be able to feed off of our drives. I think we were pretty effective in doing that as the game wore on."
The go-ahead third Tiger goal was one of the prettiest of the afternoon. With 18:23 remaining in the first half, junior attack Lindsey Biles threaded a perfect pass through a cluster of Dartmouth players that landed in the stick of senior attack Liza Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand then ducked to her left, squeezed under her defender's attempted check and shot the ball over Wills' left shoulder.
With the score precariously close at 6-5, Princeton received a big goal from an unlikely source. Biles again set up a teammate on a beautiful pass, but this time her feed was to senior attack Tara Hardiman. Hardiman faked a quick movement left, spun around to her right and then fired a shot that slipped into the back of the net. Her goal with just over five minutes to go in the half launched another four-tally run that allowed the Tigers to enter the locker room with a comfortable 10-5 lead.
"For us, it's a matter of getting into our flow," Hardiman said. "Once we get into our offensive rhythm, we tend to get those types of runs, and then it's really fun out there."
Princeton wasted no time in building its lead, as Biles recorded a goal just 19 seconds into the second half. The two teams traded goals for the next 25 minutes, resulting in a still-competitive score of 13-8 with less than five minutes remaining in the game. The Tigers' final four-goal run, with Biles and Hardiman alternating goals, catapulted Princeton to a final total of 17 scores and the win.
"I thought it was key for us to be able to come back from down," Sailer said. "That was probably the first time that's happened this year, that we got down like that early, and against a team that we have so much history with. I thought the kids showed really great maturity and poise to be able to improve their play and get back to focusing on our game."
Contributing to the victory was the impressive Tiger depth. Seven different Princeton players scored, and six notched assists. Although Biles initially found her normal paths to the goal shut off, she responded with three assists before picking up her first of four goals. Senior attack Theresa Sherry scored three times and Hardiman, Pillion and freshman midfielder Kathleen Miller each notched two.
"We have so many weapons on our attack," Hardiman said, "that I'm sure it's really hard to guard us. That's when we're successful."
As the game progressed, the level of physical play on the Big Green side drastically increased. Dartmouth took out its frustration on the Tiger players, earning numerous yellow cards in the process.
"It was by far the most physical game that we have played this year," Sailer said. "Our kids got a little beat up out there. But I think we handled it well. We kept our poise. If we weren't getting the calls, we didn't let that rattle us, and we didn't retaliate, which was great. I was really pleased with how we responded."
In the end, Princeton's versatility and depth from all dimensions ignited the victory over a tenacious Big Green squad.
Having wrapped up a victory against the team that has challenged it most consistently for Ivy League supremacy, Princeton next hosts Maryland, the squad that presented the biggest NCAA stumbling block throughout the 1990s. The Terps won seven Championships in a row before Princeton snapped their streak with its own deuce in 2002-2003.
After advancing to the semifinals in last season's tournament, Maryland (12-3) is once again reaching for the top echelons of women's lacrosse. The Terps are ranked No. 2 in the nation — right behind the Tigers — and will be thirsty for a victory after recently having had their 10-game winning streak snapped by a loss to Virginia.
Virginia been the Terps' nemesis all season, as two of Maryland's three losses have come at the Cavaliers' hands. Both games have also been very close — Saturday's 9-7 loss mirrored a 10-8 defeat which came near the beginning of the season.
Virginia's win Saturday was in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, and allows the Cavaliers to move on to a date in the finals with Duke, the only other team to claim a "W" against Maryland this season. In the Terps' second game of the year, Duke scored early and often, pulling ahead, 5-1, by halftime. Although Maryland netted four of the game's last five goals, it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit and the Terps dropped the game, 9-7.
Princeton played Virginia and Duke in back-to-back games this spring, defeating the two by 12-9 and 12-5 scores, respectively.
In order to get the win, the Tigers' stalwart defense will have to keep its eye on Kelly Coppedge. Coppedge is far and away Maryland's most prolific scorer, and is a nominee for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award for the most outstanding player in collegiate lacrosse. She leads the team with 77 points on the season, a statistic which includes 55 goals and 22 assists. She has taken twice as many shots as her teammate next on the list, and should be expected to drive toward sthe net whenever she is given the opportunity.
The Tigers seem to have an edge in net, where Kolodner boasts a 6.04 goals against average on the season. Princeton will probably face Maryland's Kirah Miles, who is currently running a 7.89 GAA.
As usual, Princeton will expect its own Tewaaraton nominees to turn in their customary solid performances. Sherry, Biles and Pillion have led the team all year and they will undoubtedly contribute in this last important tuneup before the NCAA tournament kicks off on May 13. But this weekend's win once again demonstrates the depth of the Tiger squad, a squad that should be able to secure its No. 1 ranking on Wednesday.
Read More
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
Two-way treats: Shenefelt and Kram do it all for Princeton baseball team
Joseph UglialoroThe baseball team features two players who hit and pitch, a rarity at the college level. Nick Shenefelt and Kaden Kram each took unique paths to playing both ways this season.
The baseball team features two players who hit and pitch, a rarity at the college level. Nick Shenefelt and Kaden Kram each took unique paths to playing both ways this season.