Women's Lacrosse: Team faces titanic foe in Terrapins

It is going to take more than a slingshot and a rock to knock off the undefeated Terrapins, who possess an overpowering offense averaging 16 goals per game this season.

While No. 5 Princeton (13-2 overall, 6-1 Ivy League) relies mainly on the strength of its defense and midfield, Maryland (18-0) plays a more offensive game.

“They have a lot of athleticism, a lot of speed and quickness and a lot of scoring threats,” head coach Chris Sailer said. “They are a team that can run and gun and can also set the attack. They don’t have a weakness in terms of their seven kids who are playing in the attack end. All of them are dangerous.”

The Terps’ offense may be young, but it most certainly cannot be underestimated. Leading the pack is rookie Karri Ellen Johnson, who won the World Championship with the U-19 women’s lacrosse national team in high school. She has totaled a team-high 71 points this season.

Also front running the attack is Sarah Mollison, one of the youngest players on the 2005 Australian World Cup team, a squad that claimed the world championship.

Earlier this season, the Terps downed both Penn and Duke, the only two teams Princeton has lost to this season.

Though the Tigers are not undefeated, they know as well as anyone not to put too much weight behind a perfect season before every game has been played.

Last year, Princeton won the first 10 games on its schedule and seemed destined for the ever-elusive undefeated season. That dream came to an end when the Tigers lost to Penn.

“[The Terrapins haven’t] had a loss this season,” senior midfielder and tri-captain Holly McGarvie said. “We never had a loss last season until our 11th game. There is a time to lose for every team, and I think Saturday is going to be their time. I don’t mean to sound overconfident, but we are a great team, and we go in, and we play strong on all ends of the field. I have no doubt that we will come away with a win.”

Instead of focusing on Maryland’s statistics, Princeton is instead concentrating on honing the skills it will need to bring home a win on Saturday.

“We’ve got to be on in all aspects of our game,” Sailer said. “Clearly we have to take care of the ball against them, we have to compete well on the draws, and we have to be able to defend them. They have so many attack threats, so we really have to play good individual and team defense. We have to make the most of our possessions. We’ve got to improve in our shot selection, get our shooting percentage up and really work for quality scoring opportunities.”

In addition to facing issues in scoring, the Tigers could also potentially have a problem in their traditionally strong backfield.

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

Senior defender and tri-captain Marie McKenna — who follows only McGarvie in ground balls with 34 and has 26 forced turnovers — sat out of Wednesday’s game against Loyola with an ice pack on her knee due to an injury sustained during the Brown matchup.

If McKenna is unable to give 100 percent on Saturday, the impact — both psychologically for the Tigers on the field — could seriously hinder the team.

In facing all of these obstacles, however, Princeton can rely on the strength of several key players on the field.

Chief among these standouts is sophomore goalie Erin Tochihara, who has a .573 save percentage and a 7.03 goals-against average.

Guiding the front end of the field is McGarvie, who leads the team this season in several categories, including points with 46, assists with 17, draw controls with 47 and forced turnovers with 33.

This game is undoubtedly the biggest challenge Princeton will face all season. Perfection is the only option if the Tigers want to win, but the team is up for the challenge.

“We are going to look to control the ball,” McGarvie said. “Draw controls are going to be huge, 50-50 balls are going to be huge, and if we can battle those out and come up with them, then we are going to have possession. If we are able to possess the ball and really work their defense, I think we are going to give them some trouble. Hopefully this win will give us a home seed in the first round in the playoffs.”

With postseason implications on the line, the Tigers will have to execute their game plan flawlessly if ruining Maryland’s unblemished record is in the cards.