Women look to continue winning ways against Yale

The women’s lacrosse team is set to take on Yale at 1 p.m. on Saturday, in the second match of a three game home stand for the Tigers. Princeton (6-3 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) enters the matchup on a five-game winning streak, whereas Yale (7-3, 1-2) comes to Princeton having won two consecutive games. The Tigers hold the edge in the all-time series between the two teams, boasting a 25-14-1 record against the Bulldogs. In fact, Princeton has not lost to Yale since 2007, when the Tigers fell to the Bulldogs in New Haven 6-5.

Princeton has played well at home this season, amassing a 3-1 record at 1952 Stadium. Despite suffering a difficult overtime loss to then-No. 14 Georgetown at home on March 1, the Tigers quickly rebounded. In their next home contest on March 15, Princeton stunned then-No. 6 University of Virginia with a 15-13 victory and has not lost since. The win over Virginia was the Tigers’ first game after falling from the NCAA’s Top 20 rankings, and since then Princeton has made a strong case for regaining a top ranking. Following the victory over Virginia, the Tigers won four more consecutive games, including three straight wins by seven-plus goals on the road. Princeton will look to capitalize on this momentum when Yale comes to town this weekend.

But Yale is also playing with a chip on its shoulder, intending to rebound from two consecutive Ivy League losses at home to Penn and Harvard in March. Following another loss at Boston University, the Bulldogs rebounded with two straight home victories. The squad will look to extend this streak on Saturday in Princeton.

Princeton might have particular trouble handling Yale’s high-powered attack, which boasts multiple players near the top of the Ivy League in points. Attacker Jen DeVito is second in the Ivy League in points with 40 this season, and leads the conference in assists with 25. She is joined on the front lines by Nicole Daniggelis, who is third in the league in points with 39 and is averaging 2.9 goals per game. But the Tigers have not had trouble scoring this season, averaging over 13 goals per game compared with the Bulldogs’ average of 11.2. If Princeton can contain the Yale attack while simultaneously generating the offensive production it has become accustomed to this season, the Tigers have an excellent shot of extending their winning streak on Saturday.

Following this weekend’s contest against Yale, Princeton will be tested again when No. 2 Maryland comes to Princeton next Wednesday. Although the Terrapins have not yet lost this season, the Tigers seem poised to give them a run for their money and reclaim a spot atop the NCAA rankings.