If the third-seeded Tigers can defeat the second-seeded Bison, they will take on the winner of the matchup between first-seeded Maryland and fourth-seeded George Washington. If Princeton loses to Bucknell, the team will face the loser of the other game in a third-place consolation game.
The Tigers have already faced the Bison twice this season, losing both times. On March 28, Bucknell narrowly edged Princeton by a 9-7 margin, and on April 3, the Tigers fell to the Bison 11-7. The Tigers are also coming off a tough 11-9 overtime loss to Maryland on April 5.
Junior utility Helen Meigs said that her team’s most recent experience with Bucknell is a major factor heading into the game.
“Since we’ve played Bucknell so recently, we’re familiar with what they’ll be running at both ends of the pool,” Meigs said. “Such little lag time between games means they won’t have had time to develop a totally new inventory of plays, so it’s more a matter of adjusting to what we’ve seen than preparing for something new.”
In their second game against the Tigers, the Bison offense fired on all cylinders early on, notching the game’s first three goals. But throughout the season, Princeton has had a great deal of offensive success in the first quarter of play, outscoring opponents 62-46. The Tigers may need to score early and often against this talented Bucknell squad to prevent it from getting out to a fast start of their own.
Bison driver Aubrey Rowe and goalkeeper Alison Carter were recently honored with CWPA Southern Division Co-Players of the Week accolades. Rowe is a threat in the offensive zone, having netted 62 goals and 47 assists thus far this season. Along with Rowe, utility Kandis Canonica and center forward Valentia Rozas also present a danger every time they touch the ball. Canonica has 54 goals and 59 assists, and Rozas has a team-leading 66 goals and 22 assists on the season.
On the defensive end, Carter has played solidly in goal all season, as she possesses a .493 save percentage in 21 games.
Meigs noted that the Tigers have been focused on ratcheting up their offense to meet the challenge presented by Carter’s capabilities in goal.
“We’ve been working on our half-court offense and shooting,” Meigs said. “We have to go into this weekend with an offensive mindset.”
The Bison are coming off a tough 7-4 loss to No. 19 Indiana, so the team will certainly be looking to reassert itself against Princeton. But the Tigers should not be overlooked, as they have several offensive weapons of their own, especially at the utility position.
Meigs has scored 29 goals and leads the team with 44 assists on the season. Fellow junior utility Phoebe Champion has nabbed 36 goals thus far this season and has 14 assists.
An area where the Tigers have struggled somewhat against Bucknell is in man-advantage opportunities. Meigs noted that Princeton has been focusing on this during practice.
“Both times facing Bucknell this year, we’ve duffed a lot of man-up opportunities that could have swayed the game,” Meigs said. “So this week we’ve been putting a lot of time into our six-on-five offense and defense to help us prepare for that.”
To halt Bucknell’s potential scoring assault, Princeton will need solid performances from its two goalkeepers, who have been splitting time all season. Freshman Kristen Ward has a .605 save percentage in 13 games, and sophomore Christina Michel has a .568 save percentage in 11 games played.
If the Tigers can prevent Bucknell from getting out to an early lead, and if they can capitalize on man-advantage opportunities, then they may have a chance to grab the win and advance in the tournament.
There’s no question that the team is focused on the upcoming game. When asked about Princeton’s goal for the Southern Championships, Meigs said simply, “Win.”
It remains to be seen whether this determination and focus can translate into a victory over the Bison. But if Princeton defeats Bucknell, revenge will certainly be sweet.
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