Women's Lacrosse: Duke's double-OT goal ends Tigers' season

When the women’s lacrosse team took the field against Duke in the first round of this season’s NCAA Division I Tournament in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, few outside observers thought that the No. 17 Tigers (10-7 overall, 6-1 Ivy League) would be able to defeat the No. 8 Blue Devils. However, Princeton gave Duke (14-5, 2-4 ACC) a run for its money, forcing a tie game at the end of regulation that sent the match into overtime. It was not until the second overtime period that the Blue Devils finally netted the game-winning goal, when midfielder Maddy Acton fired an accurate finish with 5:15 left to play in the sudden-death overtime period to give Duke a 10-9 victory.

Though the Tigers had dramatically out-performed the Blue Devils in draw controls, winning 17 of 22 on the evening, Duke got the one that mattered most. Princeton was whistled for an over-the-back violation on the draw, allowing Duke to get into position and capture the winning goal.

“We were face guarding their middie, who had been their go-to player that night,” head coach Chris Sailer said. “And a freshman, Maddy Acton, stepped up with an outside one-on-one off to our defense's right side. She took a hard shot and slipped it in past our goalkeeper on the near side.”

The matchup proved to be closer than rankings would suggest throughout the contest, as neither team led by more than two goals at any point. The Blue Devils got on the board first, when midfielder Taylor Trimble delivered her 32nd goal of the season on an assist from attacker Kerrin Maurer at 3:29 into the game. From that point, Princeton and Duke traded goals until a 4-1 run by the Tigers gave them a 7-5 lead at halftime. Sophomore attacker Erin McMunn, Princeton’s leading goal scorer, tallied two goals in the first half to raise her season total to 40.

The Blue Devils came out strong in the second half, however, outscoring Princeton 4-1 to take a 9-8 lead before sophomore midfielder Erin Slifer scored her second goal of the evening — and 19th of the season — to tie the game at 9-9 with 2:50 left in regulation. The goal sent the game into overtime.

“Heading into the second overtime, sudden victory, the team was confident and ready,” Coach Sailer said. “We knew that the draw control would be critical, and we had our offensive and defensive game plans set. We felt like this was our game, our time, and that we would get it done.”

Despite this confidence, Sailer’s team’s confidence was not enough to hold off Duke. The double-overtime goal sent the Blue Devils into the second round of the NCAA tournament. Duke improved to 13-15 all time in NCAA tournament games and 12-3 in first-round matchups. Princeton, whose season came to an end with the loss, was making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010 when the Tigers lost to Maryland in the first round. Princeton won national championships in 1994, 2002, and 2003, but has not appeared in the championship since losing to Virginia in the 2004 NCAA championship game, which was played at Princeton. Duke has never appeared in an NCAA championship game.

Still, the Tigers have taken many positives from this season.

“First, we finished 6-1 in the Ivies, the program's best Ivy regular season record in four years, and we accomplished one of our top team goals: taking Princeton back to the NCAA Tournament. Earning an at-large bid is quite a feat these days, with 100 Division I programs competing for 13 at-large berths,” Coach Sailer said. “We went a perfect 7-0 at Sherrerd Field and had big Ivy wins on the road at Cornell and Dartmouth. Most importantly, this team improved so much over the course of the season, and our senior class led us very well, establishing a great foundation for future success in the program.”

Coach Sailer acknowledged that her senior captains played an important role in unifying and motivating the team. Although these players will be gone, Sailer believes her team is already looking good for next season.

“I'm really going to miss coaching this group, being out on the field together every day,” Sailer said. “But I'm excited for the players we have returning and the freshmen we'll be adding next fall. There will be a lot of talent on the 2014 team, and we're looking forward to continued work and progress so that we can close the gap between heartbreakingly close and victory.”