Women's Lacrosse: No. 4 Maryland’s offense too much for Princeton

Despite not scoring first, Princeton (6-5 overall, 3-1 Ivy League) took an early 3-1 lead in a rematch of last year’s NCAA quarterfinals. But this lead was quickly erased, as Maryland (12-3) went on a 10-0 streak starting with 14:20 to go in the first half that extended into the second period.

It was then Princeton’s turn to get hot, scoring five goals and allowing only one during a 12-minute stretch midway through the second half. Still, in the end, it was not enough to overcome the deficit from Maryland’s first-half streak.

The Terrapins’ 15 goals marked the most an opponent has recorded against the Tigers all season. This was primarily due to Maryland’s ability to force turnovers and maintain pressure and possession when it had the ball.

“They were really explosive on their cuts, much more so than most teams we’ve played this year, and we didn’t do a very good job adjusting to that,” senior defender and co-captain Cathy Bachur said.

The defense was slightly more successful in the second half, focusing on winning draws as it has for most of the season.

“When we’re getting draws, then we can be in control of the game. When we’re not getting draws, then it gives the other team the opportunity to be in control,” Bachur added. “Our big focus was getting more of the draws so we would be on the attacking end.”

Princeton also had its streaks of aggressive play. Freshman midfielder Erin Slifer and senior midfielder Cassie Pyle were each able to capitalize on clean looks on net, scoring two goals apiece, while junior attacker Jaci Gassaway added a hat trick.

“We just stopped being so nervous and making mistakes [in the second half] ... We started playing harder and working harder, and I think that just paid off,” Pyle said.

There is certainly no place for nerves as the Tigers head into the next couple of weeks, during which they will play three games against Ivy League opponents and try to solidify a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.

“I think Saturday is huge ... Games like this are really big and would be incredible to win, but these are just really preparing us for the league, and that’s what’s most important,” Pyle added. “I think we’re really going to just pick apart what we did second half and beginning of the first. We knew it was going to be hard ... I think we can learn from them and try to implement what they did well.”

This will definitely include strong ball movement and aggressive cuts, which helped give Maryland a strong edge over Princeton’s defense on Wednesday. The Tigers are next in action on Saturday at Harvard for a big conference game at 1 p.m.