No. 3 Duke falls 13-8

“I think overall we controlled the game,” junior midfielder Holly McGarvie said. “We came in with a plan, and we stuck to it. There were a few minutes here and there when we had small breakdowns, but as a team we controlled the game.”

Senior midfielder Katie Lewis-Lamonica was unstoppable after missing Wednesday’s match against Rutgers due to an injury. She scored the first goal of the game just over a minute into the first half with an assist from senior attack Ashley Amo. The Blue Devils were quick to even the score, however, winning the next draw and driving to the goal in less than a minute.

Lewis-Lamonica did not leave the score tied for long, with her second goal of the day coming off an assist by junior midfielder Katie Cox less than five minutes after the opening whistle. Seven minutes later, the Tigers gained possession off a save by sophomore goalie Kaitlyn Perrelle, and Lewis-Lamonica scored her and the team’s third goal of the day for a 3-1 Princeton lead. Duke missed two free-position attempts in the next few minutes, and the Tigers got the ball back to Lewis-Lamonica, who widened the Tigers’ margin to 4-1 off an assist from Amo with 12 minutes, eight seconds left in the first half.

“We really worked the ball around and attacked from different positions,” McGarvie said. “Duke had trouble keeping up with our movement.”

After taking a timeout to regroup, the Blue Devils started cutting down the lead with two goals in the next seven minutes. Junior attack Christine Casaceli answered, forcing a turnover, recovering the ground ball and giving the Tigers a 5-3 lead as the clock wound down to three minutes. A free-position goal from McGarvie with 12 seconds on the clock sent the Tigers into the locker room with a 6-3 lead.

Duke made the first move in the second period with a goal two-and-a-half minutes into the period, but Cox took control on the draw, and Casaceli scored her second goal of the day just one minute later. Duke answered with a free-position shot that cut the Tigers’ lead to 7-5.

Princeton made sure the Blue Devils would not get any closer, as Amo and Lewis-Lamonica teamed up for the third time, with Lewis-Lamonica scoring her fifth goal of the game. Teamwork was the story of the day, with six of the 11 goals that were not free-position shots coming off assists.

“Duke’s defense did a good job of maintaining pressure on our attackers,” McGarvie said. “We haven’t played a team yet that pressures that high, but we did a good job of helping the girl with the ball.”

Lewis-Lamonica continued the onslaught midway through the second half with a free-position shot that gave the Tigers a 9-5 lead. McGarvie, Casaceli and freshman midfielder Lizzy Drumm added goals for the Tigers before an interception by McGarvie let the Tigers run out the clock with Lewis-Lamonica scoring the final goal with just four seconds left.

Overall, the Tigers were formidable at both ends of the field, scoring on 13 of 22 shots and getting some help with six saves from Perrelle in goal. A win over a team like Duke gives Princeton a confidence boost heading into the heart of the season.

“At the end of the game, I think we were all impressed with our team play,” McGarvie said. “In the past few seasons we haven’t had a win like that this early in the season, so it’s something that we were all so excited about … Every single person on the team came ready to play, and we performed as a unit.”

With Lewis-Lamonica’s performance as evidence of what a Tiger can do with a week of rest, Penn State will have its hands full when the whole squad gets two weeks off before taking the field again.