Biles leads Princeton past Owls

Some say that a win is a win, but with the high expectations that the women's lacrosse team imposes upon itself, it's not always enough. No. 3 Princeton (8-2 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) beat No. 16 Temple (4-4) on Wednesday night, 10-8, but not in the way the Tigers would have hoped.

"We didn't bring our A-game," senior attack Lindsey Biles said.

The Tigers opened strong, grabbing the opening draw and maintaining possession for the first four minutes of the game. After a Temple foul, sophomore midfield Kathleen Miller missed a free position shot and Temple controlled the ball, but only for a few seconds. The Tigers fought back and a few seconds later the ball was again held by a Princeton stick. With 26 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the first half of play, sophomore attack Mary Minshall received a pass from Biles and scored to give Princeton the first goal of the game.

But unlike last season's matchup, which the Tigers led 13-1 at halftime en route a 19-6 victory, the game was not about to turn into a rout. This year's Owls were armed with a new coaching staff and a swagger after a win over Penn State.

"They came out full of confidence," head coach Chris Sailer said.

Temple's Johna Capaldo answered quickly, forcing the first of many tie scores. Throughout the first half, Princeton struggled to get off shots and suffered from too many turnovers. Sailer was disappointed with the team's play and its inability to adjust.

"We had to play more as a team and fight harder," Sailer said. "We didn't do anything to help our cause."

With the half waning and the Tigers trailing 3-2, senior goalie Sarah Kolodner made a crucial save, her fifth of the game. After calmly waiting for an open player, she initiated an impressive chain of passes that quickly advanced the ball down the field against a tough Temple defense. Eventually, Miller controlled the ball on the right side near the Tiger's goal. She passed across the field to senior attack Ingrid Goldberg, who immediately scored, tying up the game, 3-3, with 35 seconds remaining in the first half.

"[At the half] I was thinking, 'this is ridiculous'," said Biles, who confessed to having a poor performance early in the game.

She came out fired up in the second half, though, sparking the Tigers with three goals and two assists as they slowly took control.

The Owls didn't let them get away easily, however. Every time Princeton pulled away, Temple fought back with goals of its own.

Allison Frengs opened up the second half scoring for Temple with the first goal of her hat trick. After Princeton regained possession, Miller controlled the ball behind the goal and called a set play. The Tigers gathered at the top of the arc and curled off one by one, until Biles caught a pass right in front of the goal and buried it for a tying goal.

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"Plays work, they're good for a goal," Biles said. "But we have to run them because we're not in good motion."

Biles followed her goal by dishing off two assists to freshman attack Ashley Amo and senior midfield Elizabeth Pillion to open a 6-4 lead with 18:33 remaining. But Patty Glavin answered for the Owls, pulling Temple back within one.

Seniors Biles and Goldberg — recently released from the weight of their theses — tallied unassisted goals to push the lead to 8-5 with 8:56 remaining, the largest lead of the game. Starting from behind the goal, Biles curved around from the left to score right in front of the crease. Four minutes later, Goldberg scored in a similar fashion, her second goal of the game.

Temple was far from folding, and Frengs led the charge with two goals in less than two minutes to pull the Owls within one. But tallies by Pillion and Biles cemented the win for the Tigers, pushing the cushion back to three. Temple scored once more with 2:23 remaining, but Princeton was able to while away the rest of the clock for their third straight win.

The Tigers return to action Saturday, when they take on Yale in New Haven, Conn., at 2 p.m.