Princeton hosts Brown in Ivy finale

Although the Ivy League crown is out of its reach, the women's lacrosse team will look to finish league play with a bang this weekend as Brown (3-9 overall, 1-4 Ivy League) comes to the Class of 1952 Stadium on Saturday. Princeton (11-3, 5-1) looks to resurrect its streak of dominance as it readies itself for the NCAA tournament in May. All six seniors will be honored prior to the game, the final regular-season home game of the season.

With the exception of their loss against Dartmouth this past weekend, the Tigers are currently playing their best team lacrosse. Offensively, they have scored 68 goals in their last five games, an average of 13.6 goals per game. On the season, Princeton is second in the league in both goals scored (11.85) and assists (4.85) behind league champion Dartmouth. Brown is also consistent in those two departments, except it ranks last in both. The Bears average only 7.5 goals per game and 2.3 assists on the season.

Most impressive for the Tigers is the number of different goal scorers who contribute in each game. In the team's last win at Delaware, 10 different players scored goals. Senior attack Lindsey Biles leads Princeton in goals scored and points accumulated with 43 goals and 55 points on the season, and sophomore midfielder Kathleen Miller leads the team in assists with 13. Miller is one of five Tiger players with at least 15 goals on the season. Senior attack Ingrid Goldberg will also look to continue her strong play. In her last 10 games, Goldberg has 23 points on 13 goals and 10 assists.

With her one goal against Delaware, the 163rd of her career, Biles moved past Lisa Rebane '96 into second place on Princeton's all-time goal scoring list. Biles' three points against Delaware have catapulted her into a tie with Lauren Simone '02 for third place all-time in points with 205 (163 goals, 42 assists).

In contrast, the defense is keeping teams out of the net, averaging 7.2 goals against in that same stretch of five games. The unit, which starts two freshmen in Norris Novak and Allison Murray, is forcing opponents out of their comfort zone and creating turnovers in the process — turnovers that lead to possessions at the other end of the field. This should play nicely into the Tigers' paws this weekend, as Brown has a tendency to turn the ball over — 23 times its last time out against Penn. Princeton's defensive leader, junior Lauren Vance, leads the team in caused turnovers with 31.

Vance and company will have to closely mark the Bears' trio of offensive threats: sophomore Amie Biros, junior Kate Staley and senior Sarah Passano. All three have at least 20 goals on the season. The next closest teammate has eight. Named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season, Biros scored twice and assisted on another two goals in Brown's loss to Penn last Saturday.

Brown's strength may lie in its own net, with senior goaltender Julia Southard, who is third in the Ivy league with a .514 save percentage. Meanwhile, Princeton's own senior goaltender, Sarah Kolodner, is fifth in the league.

Although they sit two positions above the cellar in the Ivy League, the Bears have proved to be a feisty team all season long — especially when it comes to fighting for groundballs. Surprisingly, Brown ranks second in the league with 23.67 groundballs per game.

The Tigers' midfield, led by senior Elizabeth Pillion and freshman standout Katie Lewis-Lemonica, will have to beat the Bears to the groundballs. Lewis-Lemonica and Pillion are both among the team's leaders in groundballs with 30 and 25, respectively. Pillion, as she did last season, leads the team in draw controls with 24.

With a win on Saturday, the team can finish with one or fewer Ivy League losses for the 12th straight season. The team concludes its regular season on Wednesday versus the University of Maryland at College Park.