The early season struggles continued for the women’s lacrosse team last week, but a strong showing against its first Ivy League opponent gives the team something to be happy about. No. 13 Princeton (2-4 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) defeated Brown in its Ivy League opener but lost to James Madison and No. 6 Virginia later in the week.
The Tigers have won their last 20 games against Brown in a streak that dates back to 1991 and have not lost an Ivy League opening game in 18 years. Both of these streaks will live on another year, as the women defeated the Bears (2-3, 0-2) 16-6 in Providence, R.I., on March 13.
Junior attacker and tri-captain Lizzy Drumm emphasized the importance of this game to the Tigers.
“We knew we wanted to come out strong against our first Ivy League opponent,” she said.
On game day, heavy rain and strong winds created intense playing conditions, but the women were unfazed, since they often practice in harsh weather. After falling behind 2-0 early, the Tigers stormed back, tying it up and then taking the lead on a goal from junior midfielder Maisie Devine. Brown scored one more before going on a nearly 20-minute-long scoring drought, during which the Tigers scored five goals to take an 8-3 lead.
In the second half, the Tigers increased their lead to 13-4 with another five-goal run, but the Bears responded with two goals in less than five minutes. Princeton stopped Brown’s momentum with another three-goal run to end the game.
“We really did play a team game,” Drumm said. “Even if they started to come back with a few goals, we answered with a few goals of our own.”
Drumm said that the Tigers wanted to win by a large margin to make a strong statement, and the Tigers never let up, winning 16-6. “It was exciting to get the first Ivy win under our belts,” she said.
On Wednesday, March 17, the Tigers faced the then-undefeated James Madison Dukes (6-1) at home. Princeton came out strong against the Dukes, taking an early 3-1 lead. James Madison answered with two goals to tie the score at 3-3, before Princeton answered with three more goals to take a 6-4 lead at halftime.
“The first half was some of the best lacrosse we’ve played all season,” Drumm said. “People were looking for the open cutters, we were finishing on our shots, and the defense was making big stops.”
The Dukes came out strong in the second half, eventually going up 9-8 with less than 14 minutes to play. The teams traded goals, and regular time ended with the score even at 11-11.
In women’s lacrosse, two three-minute halves are played in the first overtime period. If there is no winner after that, the teams play a sudden-death overtime period where the first to score wins.
The Dukes scored first in overtime, and time nearly ran out on the Tigers before they forced a turnover to get the ball back. Drumm scored her sixth goal of the game with five seconds remaining on an assist from freshman midfielder Caroline Rehfuss to force a second overtime.
Two minutes into the second overtime, the Dukes scored to win the game 13-12 and maintain their undefeated record.
The defense played a solid game, but Drumm said the attack lagged in the latter portion of the game.
“The competitiveness and the hustle were still there, but we weren’t on the same page on the attacking end,” she said.
The final game of the week was at home against No. 6 Virginia (6-2). After falling behind 2-0 early, the Tigers netted three goals to take a 3-2 lead. It would be their last lead of the game, however, as the Cavaliers scored eight unanswered goals at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.
Refusing to give up, the Tigers rattled off three straight goals to come within four, but the Cavaliers answered with an additional four goals to put Princeton away for good.
Drumm said the Tigers had struggled to establish a good flow within the attack, which has been a consistent issue this season.
“In the past three games, our defense has been a strong point,” she said. “Attack will occupy our time in practice this week.”
Princeton looks to improve its Ivy League record this Wednesday when it returns to the field against Columbia in New York City.
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