Princeton women’s lacrosse (2–2 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) had an impressive outing as they overcame the Harvard Crimson (1–4 overall, 0–2 Ivy League) in a Saturday afternoon matchup.
The Tigers were led by their attacking trio of senior Jami MacDonald, junior Meg Morrisroe, and senior Haven Dora who scored eight, seven, and six points respectively. MacDonald, Morrisroe, and junior midfielder Ella Sloan all scored four goals, while Dora came one assist shy of her program record, setting up her attacking partners on six different occasions.
“Haven always gets up for this game knowing how special it is to play against her sister, and how much it means to everyone in the Dora family,” head coach Jenn Cook told The Daily Princetonian. “This was Haven at her best: she was making all types of passes and giving her teammates great looks to finish. That is what makes her one of the most dangerous playmakers in the country.”
To add to the Tiger success, MacDonald’s eight-point performance earned her the honor of Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, achieved with four goals and four assists.
Despite conceding the first goal five minutes into the game, the Tigers quickly rallied and scored three in quick succession, with Morrisroe and Sloan in on the action. Their lead would then remain dominant for the rest of the game.
Both offenses proved solid when shooting this quarter, with the Tigers scoring five of their six shots on goal and the Crimson netting three of four. Sophomore midfielder Maggie Bacigalupo scored Princeton’s fifth goal of the quarter off a free position shot, and the first period ended 5–3.
The second quarter saw Princeton ramp up the pressure and create a constant attacking threat, with 17 shots and six goals across the fifteen minutes.
The teams would initially trade goals as the score inched up to 8–6, before the Tigers went on a 4–0 run to end the half. Two more MacDonald goals and two Dora assists forced the Crimson on the backfoot.
The half ended 11–6, with seven turnovers being the only blemish for the Tigers in an otherwise dominant half.
The second half continued in a similar fashion as the first, but Princeton would take their foot off the gas slightly as the third period went on. After a quick Harvard goal followed by two for Princeton, the Crimson went on a 3–0 run to make it 13–10 with 5 minutes left in the quarter.
This, however, would be the closest Harvard would come for the remainder of the game. First-year midfielder Becca Kirschner scored one more for the Tigers to end the quarter at 14–10, earning her first collegiate goal.
After three more Princeton goals in the fourth and less than seven minutes to go, the game was all but over at 17–11. A double salvo by junior midfielder Colette Quinn ended the Tigers’ scoring for the night, while two quick scores for the Crimson ended the scoring for the game, with a final tally of 19–13.
“We know every Ivy game is important, so there was a lot of excitement to get into Ivy play and start that part of our season,” Cook said to the ‘Prince.’ “We felt like we were in a good spot as a group, and we really wanted to get that first win on the road.”
“We had really good days in all three phases, our attack was clicking with lots of players scoring goals, and our defense was not allowing Harvard to get to its best looks. When they did, Amelia made key saves,” Cook continued.
Senior goalkeeper Amelia Hughes made 11 saves total on the night, reaching double digit saves in all of her games so far and recording a .435 save percentage.
Both teams evened out at 17 draw controls each, but it would be the 15 turnovers for the Tigers — eight of which were caused by Harvard — which kept the Crimson in it for slightly longer than the Orange and Black would have hoped.
The Orange and Black continue their road trip as they face the No. 21 University of Virginia (4–4 overall, 3–1 ACC) on Wednesday, March 8 in Charlottesville.
The two teams should be fairly evenly matched, but the Tigers will go into the game itching to get their first ranked victory and prove they can contend with the best — crucial factors when NCAA Championship selection comes around in May.
“We have a big week coming up with trips to Virginia and Penn State, both nationally ranked teams,” Cook told the ‘Prince.’ “It’s going to be a great opportunity for our team to continue to gel over spring break, and to also continue to test ourselves. These are the types of games that pay off in May, and we’re excited for them.”
Alex Beverton-Smith is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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