Elis' stingy 'D' looks to stop Princeton

When the women's lacrosse team meets Yale in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday, something will have to give.

The matchup promises to pose a classic sports conundrum: what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The Bulldogs (4-3-0 overall, 1-2-0 Ivy League) sport a stingy defense that has given up only 49 goals on the year. But Princeton's offensive production has been strong thus far — the Tigers (7-2-0, 2-0-0) have netted 93 goals on 165 shots.

If recent games are any indication, the question likely won't be answered until late in the game.

Princeton is fresh off a come-from-behind 10-8 victory over a feisty Temple squad, in which senior attack Lindsey Biles had three goals and two assists to lead a second-half charge for the Tigers.

The Bulldogs also recently completed a 10-8 come-from-behind victory of their own, defeating New Hampshire. Yale was led in the contest by midfielder Lauren Taylor, who was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week thanks to the four goals she notched in the game, including three in the second half.

The Tigers have proven be a second-half team throughout the year. Their second-half goal production is slightly higher than their first half production, but it is their defense that really shuts down their opponents. The Tigers have only given up 29 of their 75 total goals allowed in the second half. Yale's numbers, on the other hand, are nearly identical. If the game is even close heading into the locker room, the statistical advantage seemingly rests with Princeton.

On top of the superb production of Biles, senior midfielder Elizabeth Pillion and sophomore midfielder Kathleen Miller, the Tigers can thank freshman attack Ashley Amo for her clutch second-half play in recent weeks. Amo scored the go-ahead goal two nights ago against Temple and had a three-goal performance in the overtime win over Cornell. Five of her seven goals so far this season have come in the past three games. Her ascent in the college game should only continue in the near future.

But if Princeton does take full advantage of its slew of offensive weaponry, they cannot allow the Bulldogs to stay in the game. The Tigers have had some close calls this season in games that went down to the wire. Against Cornell, Princeton had a two-goal lead with less than nine minutes remaining before the Big Red eventually tied the game and forced the game into overtime. The Tigers finally secured the victory two overtimes later, but they had placed themselves in an unnecessarily precarious position.

Meager offense

Luckily for Princeton, Yale has not demonstrated that sort of quick scoring capability. The Bulldogs have put up a mediocre 207 shots, but only 127 of them have been on goal — a .614 percentage. The Tigers, in contrast, are much more efficient. Princeton sports a .711 shot-on-goal percentage and a .401 scoring percentage.

Some of the Bulldogs' offensive struggles may have to do with the fact that they have no clear goto offensive leader. Before Taylor's four-goal performance against New Hampshire, the top three Yale goal scorers had 17, 15 and 12 goals, respectively.

The most important weapon for the Tigers may be their senior goaltender, Sarah Kolodner. Though her numbers are not as strong as they were last year, her presence and other intangible contributions are enormous. Her 8.19 goals-against average is high by Kolodner's own standards, but she has made tough saves at key points, and she has a solid offense helping her at the other end of the field.

The ultimate responsibility for preventing the Tigers offense from capitalizing falls to Yale's starting goaltender, Lonnie Sarnell. The junior gives up only 6.32 goals per game and stops .582 percent of the shots she faces. Freshman Ellen Cameron has also seen some playing time as of late, relieving Sarnell on occasion. Cameron has posted a .521 save percentage and an 11.16 goals against average.

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In order to claim a victory over its Ivy foes, Princeton should take advantage of its speed and establish the tempo early. Yale can put up big numbers, but its controlled style is not conducive to large scoring runs. A faster paced game favors Princeton, and the Tigers hope their speedy offense will provide another piece of evidence that a superb attack can top a good defense any day.