No. 4 Tigers prepped to cool off Blue Jays

The women's lacrosse team kicks off its 21st season under head coach Chris Sailer this Saturday at 1 p.m. as No. 4 Princeton (0-0) locks horns with No. 9 Johns Hopkins (2-0) at Class of 1952 Stadium. The Tigers are raring to go, determined to build upon the bitter loss they suffered last season in the NCAA quarterfinal game against Dartmouth.

"I think we really have our hunger and passion back for this season," Sailer said. "The end of last season really opened the players' eyes to the possibility of how good we can be. There are a lot of great teams out there who are working for the same thing, but we're not afraid. It's a long season, and we want to just take it one game at a time."

It will be crucial that the Tigers start off the season with a bang, as they look to put to right a narrow 7-8 loss they suffered in last year's season opener against Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. That contest saw the Blue Jays' star attacker Mary Key notch three assists and three goals, including the game-winner.

"[Mary Key] is definitely a player that's well known," senior defender Christine Dobrosky said. "But I think last year we didn't play our best, and [this time] it's a chance to get out there and prove what we've done in the off-season. The season opener is always important — there's an emotional side [to it]. We need to make a good first impression and establish ourselves to the other teams."

The Tigers will again have to be wary of Key, who spearheads the Blue Jays' attack and has been in tiptop form, as she tallied four goals and two assists — including the 100th of her career — in last weekend's 2-0 win over George Mason.

But Princeton has star players of its own. Junior midfielder Katie Lewis-Lamonica earned a spot on the U.S. Women's Elite team this past summer, while sophomore midfielder Holly McGarvie — the 2006 Ivy League Rookie of the Year — played for the U.S. Women's Developmental team.

In addition, the Tigers have molded into a tougher unit, and hopes are high that the season opener against the Blue Jays will be a perfect chance to display the team's improved cohesiveness.

"I think this year, compared to other years, we're in a great place, better than any other year," Dobrosky said. "I just think that our team chemistry has been great so far. We need to rely on that and make sure we execute well. [Johns Hopkins] is a talented team, but since it's our first game, it shouldn't be so much about [Johns Hopkins] as us. As long as we go out and execute everything and play to our potential, we'll compete like we're capable of. I'm looking forward to it."

Princeton's chemistry has certainly been noticed by its coach, who pointed out the importance of having several experienced sophomores coming back from last year.

"This year we have a great group of kids," Sailer said. "We have a lot of players from last year's team, a lot of sophomores on the field. We're more experienced."

Current sophomores proved to be a real force in last year's matchup with the Blue Jays, as they scored five of the Tigers' seven goals. That game also saw five current sophomores play together for much of the game.

It will remain to be seen how explosively the chemistry between them has evolved after a whole season of playing together.