On Sunday afternoon, Princeton women’s lacrosse (4–3 overall, 1–0 Ivy League) defeated Penn State (9–1, 1–0 Big Ten) 14–11 on the road. After netting a huge lead against the Nittany Lions during the first half, the Tigers fought against an offensive onslaught to prevent Penn State from making a comeback.
This game marks the Tigers’ fourth in a string of five road games, of which they have won three and lost two.
Princeton started off the game strong. Senior Attacker Haven Dora netted the Tigers’ first goal just one and a half minutes into the game.
“The start of this season has not gone the way we anticipated or hoped,” Dora told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “Heading into the Penn State game, we were determined to change the momentum and get a win.”
After Dora’s goal, senior defender Abigail Roberts won the draw control. “Winning the draw was key for us as it gave us more possessions and control, which allowed us to settle in and play our game,” Dora told the ‘Prince.’
After securing a ground ball pickup, senior midfielder Maggie Molnar netted a goal on a power play, bringing the Tigers up 2–0. After a strong shot by sophomore midfielder Maggie Bacigalupo forced a save from the Nittany Lions’ goalkeeper, the Tigers quickly followed up with a goal by junior attacker Meg Morrisroe, off of an assist from Dora.
Down 3–0 in the first four minutes, Penn State called their first timeout of the game to regroup. They then snuck the ball past senior goalkeeper Amelia Hughes into the net to scrape together their first goal of the game, making the score 3–1.
Penn State continued putting pressure on the Orange and Black, forcing a foul by sophomore defender Addison Barrett. The Nittany Lions converted their free position opportunity to bring the point difference to just one.
The Orange and Black quickly responded. A foul by the Nittany Lions in the ninth minute of the game granted junior midfielder Ella Sloan a free position opportunity, which she converted, giving the Tigers a 4–2 lead. Dora extended this lead just over a minute later to bring the score to 5–2, closing out the first quarter.
The Tigers’ dynamic performance carried over into the second quarter. Back-to-back goals from senior attacker Jami MacDonald brought their lead up to five over the Nittany Lions. Less than a minute later, Dora converted her free position opportunity to bring the score to 8-2.
Although the Tigers tacked on two more goals to bring the score to 10–2, the Nittany Lions finally broke through Princeton’s defense seven minutes into the quarter. Penn State continued chipping away at the gap with another goal, foreshadowing the near comeback that was to come.
MacDonald responded with a goal for the Tigers less than two minutes later. Three strong saves by Hughes in the last four minutes, including the denial of a free position opportunity just seconds before the end of the period, kept the score at 11–4.
“Our offensive unit is very talented and capable of scoring in a lot of different ways,” Dora reflected, “so having that control made a big difference.”
After the Nittany Lions netted the first goal of the second half, bringing the score to 11–5, momentum began to shift.
Although Morrisroe netted a goal less than a minute later, this would be Princeton’s only goal of the quarter. Facing an aggressive attack from the Nittany Lions, Princeton conceded another three goals, closing out the quarter 12–8.
“Penn State is a team that always fights hard no matter what,” Dora said, “and we knew they were not going to let up at any moment.”
Having narrowed the deficit to just four, Penn State brought their strong play into the fourth quarter, converting on a free position opportunity to narrow the lead to three. The Nittany Lions built on this goal, forcing two fouls and converting another free position goal less than a minute later. After another score, Princeton’s once large lead shrunk to 12–10.
Despite facing an onslaught from Penn State, the Tigers fought through every minute. With eight minutes left in the game, Hughes made a big save, stopping Penn State’s chance at an equalizer. A minute later, Sloan netted Princeton’s first goal of the quarter, granting Princeton a slight breath of relief as they restored their two-goal lead. After a little more back and forth, Princeton emerged victorious, 14–11.
“Towards the end of the game when it got close, we stayed calm and composed and took control of the game,” Dora told the ‘Prince.’
Despite the near comeback by Penn State, the Tigers’ dominant start and composure under pressure proved enough to secure them the win. The Orange and Black will look to build on this victory and their victory over Hofstra University (5–5, 1–0 Coastal Athletic Association) as they face Yale (7–1, 1–0) on Saturday, March 28th.
Leila Eshaghpour-Silberman is a staff Sports writer and contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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