Women's Lacrosse: Road to third win through Durham

“Games against Duke are known for bad weather and strong competition,” senior midfielder and tri-captain Holly McGarvie said. “This game is one of my favorites in the season because you know it is going to be exciting and intense.”

If history is any indication, however, the Tigers (1-0 overall) can breathe a little easier based on their impressive 13-8 trouncing of the Blue Devils (4-1) last season.

“It’s helpful to know how we already played against them last year,” sophomore attack Lizzy Drumm said. “People’s styles change and they improve, but I think we already know a lot about what their playing style is going to be like, especially since they have nine returning players. Then again, they are going to have a very cohesive and strong attack because they have so many returning starters.”

Though Duke outshot Princeton 25-22, the Tigers’ stellar defense allowed only 14 shots on goal while causing the Blue Devils to turn the ball over 21 times. Unfortunately for Duke, Princeton lost only one starter on its defensive unit, which allowed only 8.83 goals per contest last season, to graduation.

“Duke has a strong, aggressive and fast attack, so our defense is going to have to work on coming in prepared,” Drumm said. “Our defense has been working on making sure we can guard their cutters and keep their attackers from making drives.”

The Tigers retained most of their defenders, but Princeton will be without Katie Lewis-Lamonica ’08, who kept the back of Duke’s net hot, adding a team-leading seven goals to the scoreboard last season.

The loss of Lewis-Lamonica won’t completely disrupt the Tigers’ dynamic against Duke, however, as Drumm, junior attack Kristin Morrison and senior attack Christine Casaceli — who netted a hat trick last year against the Blue Devils — have already proven their abilities this season.

Morrison, who found the back of the net four times to aid the Tigers in their season-opening win against Johns Hopkins, showed her ability to score under pressure — she put two points on the board to help break a tie at nine against the Blue Jays —which could prove an invaluable asset against a team as tough as the Blue Devils.

“On the attacking end, we want to be sharper in our execution and better handle the momentum in of the game,” McGarvie said. “We have a very strong attack, and the younger players have done well so far in stepping up and learning to work seamlessly with the more experienced players.”

Contributing to the Tigers’ offensive firepower is a slew of star midfielders whose presence will be even stronger thanks to Princeton’s new five-player midfield lineup. McGarvie, senior midfielder and tri-captain Katie Cox and senior midfielder Kristin Schwab combined for five points last year against the Blue Devils and will likely be instrumental in the Tigers’ efforts on Saturday.

One potential stumbling block to Princeton success is Duke fifth-year senior Caroline Cryer. Though Cryer missed all of last season with a foot injury after being projected as the nation’s top player, she has come back stronger than ever. Cryer has already tallied 12 goals on the season, including five in the Blue Devils’ loss to No. 5 Maryland last weekend.

“Duke is a very talented team overall and has a potent attack,” McGarvie said. “Caroline Cryer, a low attacker, is coming off a red-shirt year and will be one of the players we will look to stifle.”

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In addition to Cryer, the Blue Devils feature nine returning starters from last season’s Final Four team, including its top five goal-scorers from 2008.

Though Duke’s offense is the heart of the team’s success, the Blue Devil defense remains largely untested, as most of its leaders graduated last year. Duke’s defense appeared to be shaping up well, as it contributed to four consecutive wins, until last weekend’s loss to the Terrapins. The Blue Devils’ defense seemed to fall apart against Maryland, failing to make stops, repeatedly turning over the ball and allowing for several soft goals — mistakes that could prove fatal against an alert Tiger squad.

“We are viewing the Duke game as a really good opportunity to put up against someone ranked higher than we are and see how we compare,” Casaceli said. “The last two teams we played were not as strong, and it would be good to get some strong wins [early in the season].”

As long as the Tigers work together to contain Cryer and the formidable attack that flanks her, Princeton should earn the strong win its seeking.