Women's Lacrosse: Snowstorm forces Rutgers to Class of 1952 Stadium

Yurcak Field in New Brunswick, N.J., was deemed unplayable for tonight’s game after a snowstorm blew through the area Sunday night into Monday, and it was announced Tuesday afternoon that the game will instead be played at Class of 1952 Stadium.

While No. 6 Princeton (1-0 overall) comes off a 13-9 victory over No. 19 Johns Hopkins in its season opener, Rutgers (1-1) looks to recover from a 8-7 fourth-overtime loss to No. 14 Cornell.

The Scarlet Knights jumped to an early 4-0 lead over Cornell on Saturday behind two scores each from midfielder Brooke Cantwell and attack Nina Frankoski. Though Rutgers had control of the game for most of regulation, the Big Red took over toward the end, scoring four goals of its own in the final 17 minutes and playing tough through the four overtimes. The loss was especially tough on the Scarlet Knights, as just 50 seconds before Cornell midfielder Katie Kirk netted the game-winner, the Scarlet Knights had a goal waved off for a crease violation.

“Knowing that Rutgers took Cornell to overtime demonstrates that they are a competitive team,” senior midfielder and tri-captain Holly McGarvie said. “We are aware of their close loss to Cornell, but it does not really impact how we prepare for our game tomorrow night. We know Rutgers is going to come ready to play, but we are focused on our play.”

Princeton had a four-goal run of its own in its victory over Johns Hopkins, breaking open the game with 10 minutes, 40 seconds left to play. Junior attack Kristin Morrison, who scored the game-winner, led the team with four goals. Sophomore midfielder Lizzy Drumm tallied three scores and one assist, while McGarvie put up one goal and two assists.

Cantwell is Rutgers’ leading scorer, having tallied six goals in Rutgers’ two games. Midfielder Annie McGinley will also be a force for the Tiger defense to contend with, as the rookie has four goals on the season, including the game-winner in her team’s 16-9 win over Temple. Frankoski and midfielders Mary Cryan and Jennifer Schmitt round out the Scarlet Knights’ offensive core with four points apiece on the season.

In terms of controlling the game, McGarvie’s six draw controls against Hopkins beat McGinley’s five in two contests. Princeton also has solid control of loose balls, as senior midfielder Kristin Schwab picked up seven in the season opener. Rutgers doesn’t slack on the ground, though, as Frankoski, midfielder Mary Moran and defender Emily Penn have picked up four ground balls each.

“We need to come out strong and play our game from start to finish,” Morrison said. “If there was one thing we learned from the Hopkins game, it is that we cannot let our opponents dictate our play. Rutgers is a dangerous team, so possession will be key.”

The Tigers are backstopped by a solid goalie tandem. Sophomore Erin Tochihara got the start last Saturday, making six saves on 11 shots and earning a 6.42 goals-against average. Junior Kaitlyn Perrelle also saw time defending the cage, making two saves on six shots to start the second half. The Tigers will likely face Rutgers goalie Sandra Abel, who has a .467 save percentage and a 7.97 goals-against average this season.

If Rutgers can continue its forceful play from its one-goal loss to Cornell, Princeton will definitely have a contentious match on its hands. Still, if the Tigers can maintain their own intensity from the final minutes of the Hopkins match, they will likely have the game well in hand by the final buzzer.

“In our Hopkins game, we made some great stops on defense, but at times were unable to convert them into goals on the attack end,” McGarvie said. “Tomorrow night, we will improve our decision-making and execution rate to reward ourselves for strong defensive play.”

Princeton leads the all-time series 11-2-1 and has not lost to Rutgers since 1982.