Tigers host Quakers in battle of league unbeatens

“We’re all really excited,” sophomore goalie Kaitlyn Perrelle said. “We know we’re ready for this game. We’re ready to take it to them.”

Both teams can boast undefeated Ivy records, but they share other ties. Penn head coach Karin Brower and assistant Julie Shaner Young ’01 are connected to Princeton head coach Chris Sailer. From 1996-98, Brower served as an assistant for Sailer, while Young played at Princeton under Sailer from 1998-2001.

So who has the historical advantage? Sailer has been the Tiger head coach since 1987, and Penn has never won at Princeton under her reign. The Quakers, however, won at home against the Tigers last season, earning their first victory over Princeton since 1993. The Tigers only suffered two league defeats last year, one to Penn and the other to Yale. Princeton conquered the Bulldogs 9-6 earlier this season, so final revenge is on the line against the Quakers.

“I think we went into the Yale game a little nervous,” Perrelle said. “I think the big thing in the game against Penn is not to have that same nervousness.”

Unfortunately, both teams are missing key players. The Tigers lost senior midfielder Katie Lewis-Lamonica to an ACL injury. Lewis-Lamonica was one of Princeton’s top midfielders and earned first-team All-Ivy and second-team All-America honors last year. Penn attack Becca Edwards — who garnered an All-Ivy honorable mention — is out with the same injury.

The Tigers starters are predominantly upperclassmen. Though 10 of 12 starters are juniors or seniors, the two underclassmen are doing more than their part. When it comes to goals-against average, Perrelle is among the most successful goalies in the league, while freshman midfielder Lizzy Drumm has sparked the offense with 18 goals. Junior attack Christine Casaceli leads the team with 23 goals this season, which is particularly impressive given her 22 combined goals scored during her first two seasons.

Princeton is one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the nation along with top-ranked Northwestern. With a win, Princeton would snatch the top spot in the Ivy standings. If Penn wins, the Quakers would secure a spot in NCAA tournament and hand the Tigers their first defeat of the season. Princeton took down No. 5 Virginia and No. 9 Duke earlier in the season, and with a perfect record and bragging rights on the line, the Tigers are hungry for their third win against a top-10 opponent.