High-octane offense looks for eight

The Lions have not yet shown an offensive spark in league play. They have netted fewer than 10 goals in their three league losses to Cornell, Dartmouth and Penn this season, while a whopping 43 goals were scored against them. Princeton, on the other hand, tallied 19 goals in its league opener, compared to the 30 goals Penn has scored in its three league games. The Quakers sit atop the Ivy standings at 3-0.

Though their offense has been explosive, the Tigers suffered from a defensive lapse in the second half against Cornell, allowing the Big Red to net seven goals. This week in practice, Princeton has been most interested in bolstering its defense.

“Our defense has to be on point,” freshman midfielder Lizzy Drumm said.

On the offensive end, Princeton has outscored its opponents 87-51 this season. The 19 goals scored against Cornell was a season-high.

Columbia, however, has managed 82 goals, not enough to match the 93 netted by its opponents.

Historically, the Tigers have outscored the Lions 166-33 in 10 victories dating back to the 1998 season. The Tigers have scored at least 15 goals in nine of those 10 games.

Despite Columbia’s lackluster record, the Tigers are not taking the Lions lightly.

“They have some really great attackers that hit the ball hard and strong to the net,” Drumm said. “They move well off the ball as well.”

Nearly a fourth of Columbia’s goals have been a product of attack Holly Glynn. Glynn is the team’s top offensive weapon with 25 goals this season, and she has aided her teammates on five more. The Lions also count on midfielder Marisa Marcellino and attack Brittany Shannon to provide offensive firepower. Marcellino leads the team with 13 assists.

The Tigers have a Holly of their own, however. Junior midfielder Holly McGarvie ranks second on the team with 14 goals this season. She is matched by junior attack Christine Casaceli, who also has 14 goals, while senior midfielder Katie Lewis-Lamonica leads the Tigers with 17 goals.

These players hope to take their team to another victory and maintain their undefeated record. Drumm sees their record not as an extra burden an impetus pushing the team to work harder to maintain its win streak.

“I think it just motivates everyone to work hard and step up their game to keep the undefeated record,” Drumm said. “It’s more of a motivator than a pressure.”

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Though a loss may come at some time in the season, the stonewall defense and high-scoring offense led by players like Drumm, Casaceli, McGarvie and Lewis-Lamonica ensures that loss will tough to come by for Princeton’s upcoming oppenents, beginning tonight at Columbia.