A back-and-forth series of winning and losing makes for exciting games, but frustrating seasons.
The women’s lacrosse team continued to learn this lesson the hard way when the Tigers fell to Cornell 11-8 on Saturday, in their second consecutive upset loss. A week after taking down then-No. 9 Georgetown in a 15-14 overtime battle, No. 17 Princeton (4-6 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) lost to Cornell (3-6, 2-2) for the first time since 1988, snapping a 22-game winning streak.
With this loss, Princeton fell to 0-5 at home, while the team is 4-1 for away games. While the inconsistency in the Tigers’ performance is a source of frustration, the team refuses to dwell on it, junior goalie Erin Tochihara explained.
“Our coach has been talking about how we’ve kind of been on a rollercoaster: We win, and then we lose,” Tochihara said. “Halfway through the season, we’re really looking to get off the rollercoaster and pick up our game. From this point onward, we’re just looking forward.”
On Saturday, Princeton found out early that Cornell was there to fight with the Tigers, when the Big Red went up 2-0 within the first seven minutes. Princeton answered with a goal by junior midfielder Maisie Devine off a pass from sophomore midfielder Barb Previ.
A minute later, senior attack and tri-captain Kristin Morrison knotted the score at 2-2 by converting on a free-position shot. For the rest of the first half, the Big Red would take a one-goal lead before the Tigers clawed back to tie. With one minute, 34 seconds left in the half, Cornell attack Libby Johnson scored to put the Big Red up 5-4.
With just one second left in the half, Morrison scored on a free-position shot, leaving the teams even at 5-5 heading into the locker room.
“We fought really hard — everyone on the team gave their full effort,” Tochihara said. “After the first half, we felt good about how we competed. Beginning with the second half, we scored the first goal, and things started to feel pretty good. We had some great turnovers on the defensive end and made some great looks for ourselves on the attacking end, but in the end we weren’t able to convert.”
In the second half, Princeton snatched its first lead of the game just 2:30 in, when freshman midfielder Caroline Rehfuss scored on another Previ assist. The Big Red, however, again tied up the score less than two minutes later.
Princeton gained a 7-6 lead with another goal by Devine, but it would be the Tigers’ last of the game. Princeton stayed even with Cornell up until 8-8, when the Big Red wrapped up the game with a late 3-0 run.
“This game, like several others this year, was not lost because of effort,” sophomore midfielder Cassie Pyle said in an e-mail. “We went hard the whole game but it was just a matter of execution ... This was easily seen in the last 10 minutes when we would work hard to make a great defensive play and get the ball back but would turn it over in transition or take a bad shot. If we can start executing the easy things, the games are going to end a whole lot differently than they have been.”
By most statistical measures, Princeton should have won the game. The Tigers had the advantage in shots, ground balls and draw controls, and they had fewer fouls. The teams also had the same number of turnovers. As Tochihara explained, however, Cornell simply converted on its opportunities more often.
“We had more shots than Cornell, but they were able to convert on more of their shots,” Tochihara said. “We were down by two with about 10 minutes left, and we were able to set up a few things that we were looking for, but it just came down to not finishing the shots.”
As Pyle explained, only a few small changes will enable Princeton to take advantage of the opportunities it sets up.
“A few more fakes and this game could have gone completely differently,” Pyle said. “Our biggest focus for the next week is making small adjustments which will make big changes: Things like faking before we shoot, working a little harder to convert doubles, or even just holding on to the ball a second longer to ensure a good pass.”
When the Tigers take on Yale next Saturday at home, they will look to execute these changes in order to improve their Ivy League mark and earn a trip to the conference tournament at the end of the month. Based on last weekend’s game against Georgetown, Princeton can do just that.
“The Georgetown game was so important for us because it showed us how good we can be and that we have the ability to beat a top-10 team,” Pyle said. “The Georgetown game gave us the belief that we can be great, which we might have been lacking before. Once we fix a few problems which plagued us in the past two games, I’m confident we’ll be even greater than we’ve seen yet.”
Read More
With Pierce to sit out the year, men’s basketball loses last senior standing
Harrison BlankSenior forward Caden Pierce announced today that he will be sitting out his senior season of basketball at Princeton in the interests of maintaining his final year of eligibility.
Senior forward Caden Pierce announced today that he will be sitting out his senior season of basketball at Princeton in the interests of maintaining his final year of eligibility.
Women’s ice hockey names Courtney Kessel as new head coach
Lily PampolinaFollowing the resignation of Cara Gardner Morey, Princeton appointed Courtney Kessel as head coach.
Following the resignation of Cara Gardner Morey, Princeton appointed Courtney Kessel as head coach.
Former women’s basketball forward Parker Hill ’25 signs professional contract in Switzerland
Doug SchwartzAfter a successful senior season, women's basketball forward Parker Hill signed a contact to play professional basketball in Europe, following in the steps of her past teammates.
After a successful senior season, women's basketball forward Parker Hill signed a contact to play professional basketball in Europe, following in the steps of her past teammates.