Princeton makes Crimson bleed

After a slow and disappointing start to the season, the women's lacrosse team continued to step on the accelerator this weekend, as it throttled Harvard (2-9 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) on Saturday at Princeton's Class of 1952 Stadium in a crushing 19-5 win.

It was a lopsided match, with Princeton (6-4, 2-1) dominating the visitors throughout the game. The Tigers led in shots (30-17), ground balls (18-10) and draw controls (17-8), while the Crimson only managed to tally higher numbers in turnovers (23-13).

"We prepare [for] every game with the same mentality," freshman attack Kristin Morrison said. "But we had had really good practices all this past week, and how you practice definitely affects how you play. We were able to play for each other."

Princeton went into the game with history on its side, as the Tigers have an undefeated streak against the Crimson dating to the 1992 season.

Yet Harvard's Kaitlin Martin managed to score the opening goal, granting the visitors a slim hope that history would not repeat itself.

That dream was shattered just two minutes later, as the Tigers responded swiftly with a goal from junior attack Ashley Amo.

The Orange and Black then enjoyed a wild goalscoring spree as it found the visitors' net eight more times in 12 minutes. The first three of these nine goals were scored in a 25-second span, and after the glut of goals, the Tigers never lost their lead.

After accumulating a 10-goal lead with less than eight minutes left in the first half, Princeton never led by fewer than 10 goals.

"Possession was a big part of the game," Morrison said. "At the beginning, the first six minutes we were a little rocky in terms of possession. But then we quickly got a hold of that, and once we got the ball, we controlled the game."

While from Harvard's side Martin, who had scored the game opener, scored three more times, Princeton's Morrison found the net a season-high five times at the other end of the field and now has 10 goals for the season.

There was almost something for everyone Saturday, however, as eight Tigers got on the scoresheet, including Morrison.

Senior attack Kathleen Miller recorded five points (three goals, two assists) and moved up to seventh all-time at Princeton with 177 career points.

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She also had her 61st career assist against the Crimson, tying for fourth all-time in the category.

"Our offense really clicked yesterday," Morrison said. "Our defense also played well, and [Harvard] had a lot of turnovers. We tried to take advantage of that in the second half. Towards the second half of the game, we were also looking for the goals to be assisted. This was one of our goals for the second half and something we're looking to improve."

Princeton boasts a wealth of goalscoring talent and depth on the squad, as there are now seven players with 10 or more goals this season.

Princeton has tallied 37 goals in its last two games. The last two wins marked the first time since early March that the Tigers have won two games in a row.

Though the Tigers' current record is not outstanding, they have never lost their winning mentality.

"I think winning these two past games is definitely a good start," Morrison said. "The Yale game was a bit of a wakeup call, and I think that the national championship is still definitely a possible goal. We talk to each other, and we don't think it's impossible," she added. "Each person on this team is an integral part and is capable. And we need to think that we're going to go undefeated from this day on."

Though national glory is not an impossible goal for the Tigers, they will certainly need to grind out better results in tougher games because not every game will be against another Harvard.

Princeton next faces Penn this Wednesday at Penn's Franklin Field. No. 6 Penn is performing well and boasts a 5-0 Ivy record. With a loss to Yale already on the books for Princeton, the Tigers will need to stay perfect in the league ahead of the team's matchup with Dartmouth next weekend.