Women's Lacrosse: Princeton’s post-season hopes at stake

This past weekend, No. 9 Penn dropped into second place at 4-1, as it suffered its first Ivy League defeat of the season at the hands of the conference leader, No. 8 Dartmouth (10-2, 5-0). The Big Green will try to remain the only unbeaten team in the league when it travels to Princeton on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

“These next two games are crucial, there is no doubt about that,” head coach Chris Sailer said. “We know our situation. If we win the next two games, there is the possibility of a five-way tie for first. But we could also end up in a tiebreaker with Harvard or Cornell, and they have the advantage head to head. It is critical we win. We are still on the hunt for the Ivy League title and a spot in the tournament. We have our work cut out for us.”

The Big Green rides confidently into the weekend after winning five of its last six games, while Princeton enters Saturday’s competition hoping to end its two-game losing streak. Last week, the Tigers dropped games to No. 4 Maryland 15-9 and Harvard 10-7. Though it was tied with the Crimson at the half, Princeton only added one goal in the second period and could not regain possession as Harvard stalled and ran time off the clock.

“We learned the importance of capitalizing on opportunities,” Sailer said. “We had a lot of chances down the stretch. We need to keep our heads. It is important that we feed off one good play to generate positive momentum that we can build on.”

In last year’s matchup between these two squads, Dartmouth earned a win 15-10 on its home turf in New Hampshire. After falling behind early in the first half, the Tigers outscored the Big Green in the second, but it was not enough to close the gap.

“The last two practices we have been focusing on ourselves and the basics of our offense and defense,” Sailer said. “Now we will turn our attention to Dartmouth. They are a tough team and a favorite to win the title. They are undefeated in the league right now. They have a lot of experienced upperclassmen that are key threats. They play with a lot of emotion and energy. They play tough, scrappy and very very physical, so we have to be ready for that.”

The Big Green is led offensively by Sarah Plumb and Kirsten Goldberg, who have posted 30 and 29 goals respectively so far this season. Also making key contributions on the attack are Liz Calby, Hana Bowers and Lindsey Allard. In net, Kristen Giovanniello has a .471 save percentage, best in the league. The Tigers will have to work hard defensively to slow down the fierce Dartmouth attackers and, on the other end of the field, place their shots with precision or fire them with power to get past Giovanniello.

On paper, the teams look evenly matched. Offensively, Princeton averages 11.83 goals per game while Dartmouth has scored 11.33. Their shooting percentages are nearly identical, at .473 for the Orange and Black and .458 for Dartmouth. The Tigers have given up 9.08 goals per game, while the Big Green average slightly more at 9.3.

Both squads are disciplined, earning the lowest number of fouls in the league: 15.75 for Princeton and 19.25 for Dartmouth. Princeton has committed 12.17 turnovers per game, similar to the Big Green’s 12.

The outcome of this game will be critical to both teams’ hopes for an Ivy League title and, should they qualify, in determining their ranking in the post-season tournament.

With a third conference loss, the Tigers would need lots of help from other teams to reach the playoffs.

“We need to work as a team and back each other up, play smart and adjust on the field as needed,” Sailer said. “We need to make sure we play our game.”