A pair of nailbiting losses bookend a blowout victory

It was a frustrating spring break for the women's lacrosse team, with only a midweek thrashing of lowly Loyola to provide relief from a pair of tight losses to higher-ranked opponents.

The first Saturday of break, No. 10 Princeton (3-3 overall) was nipped, 8-7, by No. 6 Penn State (5-1). After cruising to a 14-5 win over the Greyhounds (1-5) four days later, the Tigers visited No. 3 Virginia (8-1) this past Saturday and lost another nail biter, 9-7.

The Tigers headed into the break as the No. 8 team in the country, with a 2-1 record. Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium hosted the first of the team's three spring break matchups, and the Tigers looked right at home at the start of the game, going on a 4-1 run against the visiting Nittany Lions.

Just over a minute before halftime, Penn State cut Princeton's lead to two, and the Lions were no longer toothless after intermission. Penn State came out of the locker room in roaring fashion, scoring six goals in 11 minutes to overtake the Tigers.

"I think it was one of those times," senior attack Kathleen Miller said. "The team as a unit was at a low, kind of like a pause or a mental break. What [the Nittany Lions] did very well was they recognized that moment. They scored so many goals in such a small matter of time."

Penn State held onto its lead and escaped with an 8-7 win, despite the Tigers' superior shots and draw controls.

It was a game where credit had to be given to the road team. Despite less-than-favorable surroundings, the Nittany Lions came very prepared and focused on winning. Strategically, Penn State kept possession for lengthy spells, drawing out the Princeton defense and spreading the Tigers across the field. The patience paid off, and the Tigers were left to rue their missed chances.

"Offensively, we didn't hold the ball well, and we'd lose it in the transition, or other sloppy mistakes like that," Miller said. "And they capitalized on every mistake."

Princeton's next game — against Loyola on Wednesday, March 21 — was an altogether different story. The Tigers gave the visiting Greyhounds little room to breathe after the first 10 minutes of back-and-forth goal-bandying, scoring five consecutive goals to stretch their lead to 11-4 and effectively end the match.

Princeton capped off the game with three more scores, making it 14-5 at the final whistle. The Tigers outshot the Greyhounds, 36-12, and dominated draw controls 16-5.

"Our team was pretty upset [after the defeat to Penn State]," junior midfielder Katie Lewis-Lamonica said. "It exposed some of our weaknesses, and we were able to address those. Then we had a really good game [against Loyola]. We responded well on Wednesday — we came out and really dominated."

The Tigers couldn't expect to do the same on the road against an elite Virginia squad, but they still managed to play a close game. Princeton climbed to an early 2-1 advantage, but its host scored three unanswered goals to take a lead it would not relinquish.

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It was Virginia's third straight win against Princeton in the regular season, but the match was far from lopsided. Princeton outshot the hosts, 25-22, and showed its resolve in forcing 18 Cavalier turnovers. That same strength was not apparent on the other end, as the Tigers failed to produce that killer instinct in front of goal.

"The offense wasn't clicking," Miller said. "It's one of those moments when you have to apologize to the defense. They're working their tails off, and we never got to that point where we could hold possession. Everyone was working really well defensively, but [on offense] it just didn't click. It's so frustrating because we've been doing it really well in practice, and then something like Virginia happens."

Another weakness that surfaced in the Virginia game was in draw controls. The Cavaliers took 13 of the game's 18 draw controls, costing the Tigers dearly.

Princeton heads into Ivy League play this Saturday, with its opener against Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.

So far this season, the Tigers have shone in thumping wins but missed out in tight defeats. As Princeton heads into the conference phase of its season, it will need to hone its championship mentality to grind wins out of bleak stalemates.

"I think really the week as a whole is indicative of where our team is right now," Lewis-Lamonica said. "We showed our strength in one game and weren't able to convert in the other two games, but you have to be able to win those types of games. We're a really strong team that can perform well, but we need consistency and finishing. Not just in attack, but all over the field."

If the Tigers find their groove, they won't need the Loyolas of the world to kick around anymore.