Last season was certainly a rebuilding year for the women’s lacrosse team. When the Class of 2009 graduated, the Tigers lost nearly half of their defense and almost all of the veteran experience which drove Princeton as a perennial powerhouse in the Ivy League and nationally. As the only active Princeton coach to achieve 300 wins and the current record holder for most NCAA Tournament wins in history, Hall of Fame head coach Chris Sailer has known little beyond success at the helm of the team.
Yet for all of Sailer’s prowess, the Tigers ended last season with their first losing record in 23 years.
“We had a lot of kids on the field for the first time,” Sailer said. “We had trouble feeding off of the positive things we did on the field, [and] a lot of mistakes we made really haunted us.”
Coach Sailer explained that this year will be different for the Tigers.
“This year those kids are much more experienced,” Sailer said. “They grew so much, [and] they can be a big presence on the field.”
“There’s just a different feeling on the field right now and just different expectations in terms of what we’re capable of and how we’re going to approach the season," Sailer added.
Princeton’s greatest concern this year will be its defense, which was already plagued by injuries during preseason.
“If there is an area that we need to work on it would be our awareness and communication,” Sailer said. “It’s an area that we are still continuing to focus on, but we did get some work done in preseason.” The Tigers added four new freshmen to their defense this year.
Junior defender Lindsey deButts is expected to lead the Tiger backfield this year, but has missed the entire offseason due to an injury. When deButts returns, Sailer expects that she will bring her “ability to direct the defense and her ability to see a play develop,” which will “help us tremendously.” deButts had a career-high 35 ground balls, 24 draw controls and 15 caused turnovers last year.
Fellow junior defenders Allison Berhinger and Cathy Bachur are also expected to help lead the relatively young defense. Berhinger collected 15 ground balls and caused six turnovers last season while Bachur earned 11 ground balls and caused eight turnovers.
Sophomore Jenna Davis will be starting as a defender this year after being converted from midfield because “she gives a lot of speed in the back,” Sailer said. “She can really make things happen.”
Regardless of the troubles that plague the Tiger defense, the goal will be well-tended by All-American senior Erin Tochihara. Arguably the best goalie in the Ivy League, Tochihara ranked sixth nationally in average goals against and fourth in save percentage during the 2009 season.
Last year Tochihara’s goals-against average increased by two to 10.83, but with a seasoned defense surrounding the cage the Tigers can expect a stellar year from the veteran keeper.
“She’s really going to be solid for us back in the cage,” Sailer said. “She’s a great anchor to have for our defense.”
According to Sailer, the midfield “is going to be a really good unit.” The Tigers will return 75 percent of the previous year’s scoring power.
Senior co-captain and midfielder Lizzy Drumm will be pivotal to the Tigers’ success this year. As the only four-year starter, Drumm was a unanimous First-Team All-Ivy selection last year. She led the team on offense, scoring 32 goals and nine assists for a team-high 41 points. She finished the season with 22 draw controls, 16 ground balls and five caused turnovers.
“She’s always been a great attack, but at her request we moved her to play more midfield,” Sailer said. "[Drumm] is also one of our best defenders so to have her at every aspect of the game is really going to help Princeton.”
As Princeton’s fourth highest scorer with 17 goals and eight assists, junior Cassie Pyle is also expected to play a large role in the Princeton midfield. After a strong freshman year, sophomores Jenna Davis and Charlotte Davis will be sources of strength for the Princeton middle.
On attack, junior attack Barb Previ should bring power to the Tiger offense. During her sophomore year Previ earned 28 points after scoring bring in 16 goals and 12 assists. “She does so much for us on the transition team,” Sailer said. “[She] creates a lot of good positions for us.”
Sailer said he expects to see a “breakout season” from sophomore attack Jaci Gassaway. Gassaway started in four games last year, but, according to Sailer, “This year she’s just blossomed. She’s just so strong with her moves and her finishes, so we’re expecting big things from her.”
Sailer said he believes that the Tigers will be a competitive team this year, but the rebounding Princeton team will have a difficult road ahead of them. The Tigers will host Ivy League rivals Columbia and Harvard this year but will face their greatest challenge against Penn State in the final game of the season.
“We don’t have any easy games to look to,” Sailer said. “Every one is going to be a battle, so we are going to have our work cut out for us.”
Princeton will open the year this Saturday against Johns Hopkins at Princeton Stadium.
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