Lucky Seven?

With a win against Dartmouth this Saturday in Hanover, N.H., the women's lacrosse team would earn the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Both teams will, in all likelihood, earn a spot in the tournament either way, but this will not diminish the lure of the Ivy League crown.

The Tigers (10-2 overall, 5-0 Ivy League) are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, but No. 3 Dartmouth (12-0, 6-0), the only other undefeated team in the Ivy League, is directly on their heels.

Recent history favors Princeton in Saturday's game. The Tigers enter the contest having won their last five straight against the Big Green. Still, Princeton did not face a Dartmouth team as talented as the 2005 incarnation during that streak. The Big Green has yet to lose a game this year.

The Dartmouth squad has been a force to be reckoned with this season. Its offensive unit leads the league in goals per game. It has produced 167 goals in 12 games this year, 30 more than the Tigers have in the same time span. The Big Green also leads the Ivies in ground balls per game, with 25.8, and in points, with 19.6.

But Princeton matches up well against these numbers. In fact, either the Tigers or Dartmouth lead the league in every major statistic. Saturday's battle is sure to be tightly contested with some intriguing individual matchups.

Big Green goaltender Devon Wills has started all 12 games. Wills stops 52.8 percent of the shots she faces and has given up only 75 on the year. But she will have her hands full with Princeton and its offensive threats, which include the likes of senior midfielder Elizabeth Pillion, sophomore midfielder Kathleen Miller and senior attack Lindsey Biles.

The Tigers' defensive unit will have its hands full as well. Dartmouth's two primary offensive stars, Whitney Douthett and Katieanne Christian, have 47 and 46 points, respectively. Christian leads the team and is third only to Biles and Amie Biros of Brown in goals scored, with 42, while Douthett leads the league in assists. Senior goaltender Sarah Kolodner will have her hands full dealing with Douthett, Christian and the rest of the Big Green attack.

Freshman attack Katie Lewis-Lamonica said the team understands the potency of the Dartmouth offense.

"Against Harvard, we were upset with our defense, so this week, that has been one focus for us. We just have to know that we can really make a great defensive effort on Saturday," she said.

Saturday's contest, which features two extremely evenly-matched teams, may just come down to which squad is able to play at top form. Princeton certainly has seemed to be peaking lately, having routed its last three opponents.

The defense, which at the beginning of the season was considered too young and inexperienced, has matured and now plays more like a veteran unit. The 21-goal outpouring against Harvard last weekend destroyed any doubts as to the offense's ability to put up points.

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"I think for us it is just going to be creating consistency. We have a great attack game; we have a great defensive game; we have a great midfield game. We just have to bring it all together. That is the big challenge for us," Lewis-Lamonica said.

The Tigers will indeed have to come together against Dartmouth in what will most likely be one of their most difficult tests before the tournament.