On Saturday, No. 9 Princeton women’s lacrosse (0–1 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) opened its 2026 season with a 14–10 loss at No. 19 Loyola Maryland (2–2, 1–0 Patriot League). The Tigers kept the game even through the first quarter, but a dominant second quarter from the Greyhounds created a gap that the Orange and Black could not overcome.
“It was definitely tough to open the season against a team that already has four games under their belt and is in rhythm,” senior attacker Haven Dora wrote to The Daily Princetonian after the match. “Still, the game allowed us to see where we are as a group and identify our strengths and weaknesses.”
Loyola struck first with a man-up goal just over a minute into the game, adding a free-position goal shortly after to bring the score up to 2–0. The Tigers, however, were quick to bounce back. First-year midfielder Devan Lange scored in the 10th minute of her collegiate debut, finishing a feed from junior midfielder Colette Quinn to cut the deficit to one.
A few minutes later, senior attacker Jami MacDonald converted a free-position shot to tie the game at 2–2, and the Tigers looked well-composed after the early pressure. Senior goalkeeper Amelia Hughes was also sharp in the opening quarter, making several saves to keep the Greyhounds from building momentum and helping the Tigers settle into the game.
The game turned in the second quarter. The Greyhounds scored just 34 seconds into the frame to regain the lead, then continued to pressure the Orange and Black in transition and off the draw. The Tigers struggled to find the same rhythm it had during stretches in the first quarter, while the Greyhounds capitalized on extra possessions.
By halftime, Loyola had built an 11–2 lead after outscoring Princeton 9–0 in the quarter.
“When we had the ball, there were definitely moments where we moved it well, got good looks, and displayed really great chemistry,” Dora wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Moving forward, as a unit we need to focus on capitalizing on man-up opportunities and staying composed under pressure.”
The Orange and Black responded with much better energy after the break. Junior attacker Meg Morrisroe helped spark that response, scoring on a free-position shot less than a minute into the third quarter. The Tigers looked more aggressive in the attacking third, and generated cleaner looks than they had in the second.
Loyola answered right away to make it 12–3, but Morrisroe struck again midway through the period and then added another on a man-up opportunity, trimming the margin to 12–5 heading into the fourth.
The Orange and Black continued to lead the attack in the final quarter. MacDonald opened the scoring less than four minutes into the period. The Greyhounds netted one in just thirty seconds later, but MacDonald followed again shortly after to complete her hat trick and make it 13–7.
“My mindset going into the game was just to be confident in the work that we did as a team over the winter break and focus on executing everything at a high level,” MacDonald wrote to the ‘Prince.’
With less than three minutes left to play, Loyola scored its 14th goal of the game. Morrisroe added two late goals and Dora chipped in one as well, but it wasn’t enough for the Tigers as the Greyhounds held on for a 14–10 win.
Morrisroe finished with five of Princeton’s ten goals, while MacDonald recorded a five-point game with three goals and two assists. Hughes made 12 saves, in a busy afternoon in goal.
“The first half, especially the second quarter, was not our best and Loyola capitalized on that,” Dora wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Still, we are excited to have more opportunities to redeem ourselves and improve as a team.”
MacDonald echoed the sentiment. “We learned a lot about ourselves as a team given that it was our first game,” she said. “We know what we have to work on going forward.”
The Tigers will look to carry those positives into Wednesday’s home opener against Rutgers (3–1, 0–0 Big Ten) at Sherrerd Field.
“This was just the beginning,” Dora wrote to the ‘Prince.' “With more games and time together, our offensive unit will continue to grow.”
Kai Kim is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince’. He can be reached at kaikim[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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