After a rocky start to the season, the women’s lacrosse team heads into spring break with the opportunity to prove it can live up to its preseason hype.
The No. 13 Tigers (1-2) hope to bounce back from two tough home losses last week against No. 6 Duke (5-1) and No. 20 Rutgers (4-0), its instate rival from New Brunswick.
The break from classes will give the team a chance to focus exclusively on its three games next week, starting with a showdown with Brown on Saturday in Providence, R.I.
Princeton will open Ivy League play against the Bears (2-1). Brown’s offense has been the key to the team’s two victories this year.
The Bears are coming off a win against Quinnipiac in which midfielder Lindsay Minges exploded with three goals and attack Kaela McGilloway, their leading scorer, added four.
Though unranked, Brown will not be an easy matchup. On March 3, the Bears went into halftime with a 4-3 lead against No. 9 Boston University, but their offense lost steam in the second half and they ended up losing the game, 9-5.
The Tigers are anxious to move past their recent losses and make a statement this Saturday.
“With having a week to prepare — physically and mentally — for the Brown game, our team is refocused and re-energized in regards to the fundamental aspects of the game that have brought us success before,” senior defender and tri-captain Sarah Vance said.
The Tigers will return home to face James Madison University (4-0) on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Princeton is the first ranked opponent that James Madison will face this season. The game provides the Dukes with a chance to prove that their early success has not been a fluke, and the Tigers will likely face an inspired squad.
The Dukes received votes in both the latest Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Poll.
James Madison has one of the top defenses in the country. Morgan Kelly ranks among the top goalies in the nation, with a 4.87 goals-against average and a 0.558 save percentage.
James Madison’s offense has been explosive as well. The Dukes have beaten three of their four opponents by six goals or more.
The Tigers remain hopeful that they can defeat a talented James Madison team.
“We are confident and excited to step out onto the field together to demonstrate that no matter the caliber of the opponent, our team effort and our high level of execution will bring us success,” Vance said.
The Tigers’ toughest matchup of the break comes at home against No. 8 Virginia (3-2) on Saturday, March 20. Four of Virginia’s five games have come against ranked opponents.
The Cavaliers defeated No. 14 Penn State and No. 7 Syracuse, though they fell to No. 2 Maryland and No. 17 Loyola.
Before the Cavaliers make the trip north to Princeton, they will head south to face their talented Atlantic Coast Conference rival, No.3 North Carolina.
The Cavaliers will have the advantage of playing five games against ranked opponents before taking on Princeton, while the Tigers will have only had played two ranked teams. Despite their slow start, the Tigers are not ready to give up. After all, the season is far from over and Ivy League play has yet to begin.
“With only three games into our season, we’ve reminded ourselves that perfection and success does not come overnight,” Vance said.
For now, though, the focus is on their first Ivy League game of the season and the beginning of the Ivy League title race.
“We have a very strong message to deliver to the Ivy League, and this Saturday is a great opportunity to demonstrate that our “We have a very strong message to deliver to the Ivy League, and this Saturday is a great opportunity to demonstrate that our team will be competing for the Ivy League championship this season,” Vance said.
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