Women's Lacrosse: No. 7 Tigers face league foe Bulldogs

Though currently undefeated in conference play and tied atop the Ancient Eight standings, the Tigers (8-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) are not approaching the Bulldogs (3-7, 0-3) lightly.

“I think we are always looking to improve in our transition game offensively and defensively, and we’re going to keep working on that tomorrow and Friday for the Yale game,” senior midfielder and tri-captain Holly McGarvie said.

Princeton beat Cornell 15-8 last Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y., behind strong play from McGarvie, sophomore attack Lizzy Drumm and senior attack Christine Casaceli, all of whom netted more than three points for Princeton.

“[Cornell was] really aggressive, which was something we hadn’t expected,” McGarvie said. “We had a few turnovers that were unforced, and we weren’t taking care of the ball as well as we should have.”

Against Columbia, the Tigers dominated all facets of play en route to a 15-5 victory. The Tigers started strong with a shot by Casacelli just three minutes into the first half. With 10 minutes left in the half, Princeton led Columbia 2-1 off a shot by freshman midfielder Cassie Pyle, who had five goals overall. The half ended with the Tigers leading 5-1.

“[Pyle] did really well, and she was playing well throughout the entire game,” McGarvie said. “Her goals were spread out, and to see her have that momentum and carry it out throughout the 60 minutes was exciting. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see it throughout the season.”

The second half started with another goal by Pyle, and with more than 25 minutes left, the Tigers led 7-1. The teams traded goals until Princeton took the lead with another eight points to bring the final score to 15-5.

“I think one thing we did really well was that we could control the draw,” McGarvie said. “That was one thing we had more of an issue with against Cornell. It’s exciting to see game possession off the draw and have quality draw control opportunities”

The Bulldogs have yet to win an Ivy League game this season, but Yale beat Holy Cross 15-7 yesterday. Key players to watch are Jenna Block, who came two goals shy of the NCAA single-game scoring record against Holy Cross, and Jenn Warden. Though the Bulldogs lost to Harvard last weekend, Warden almost single-handedly kept the game close. In the Holy Cross game, Yale’s attack stood out with help from both players.

Though Yale has improved its offense dramatically, defense has been what the Bulldogs have depended on in their recent games. “The defensive unit has been solid all along,” Yale head coach Anne Phillips said to yalebulldogs.com. “Today, the offense started to click. Finally we were hitting the cutters and finishing inside. Everybody shared in the scoring. We had struggled to get that piece to work for us.”

McGarvie echoed these concerns, yet said she was excited about this weekend’s game. “We haven’t been with the [Yale] team yet, but they’re always really aggressive,” she said. “They have a patient attack that works for quality opportunities, and as a team, we’ll be aware of their strengths.”