Over the weekend at Reese Stadium in New Haven, Conn., the Tigers (11–6 overall, 5–2 Ivy League) faced off against Penn (8–8, 5–2) and Yale (13–4, 6–1) in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal and final, respectively. The Orange and Black managed a 15–10 victory against the Quakers before defeating the Bulldogs 12–8 to secure their seventh Ivy League Tournament title — their first since 2022 — and an automatic bid to the upcoming 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Pushing past Penn
“Going into the Ivy League Tournament we were ranked 3rd but as a team we knew we were much better than this,” senior attacker Haven Dora wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “We went into that game on Friday with something to prove.”
The match opened with some struggles for Princeton, as the Quakers scored four goals in the first five minutes and forced the Tigers to settle in defensively. Princeton finally broke through in the sixth minute, when junior attacker Meg Morrisroe finished a feed from Dora to put the Tigers on the board. Goals from Morrisroe and junior attacker Merrill Watson soon made it 4–3.
“We were down early against Penn but we clawed our way back and that just shows the determination and grit that everyone on the team was playing with on Friday,” senior defender Abigail Roberts wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “That wasn’t the legacy we were gonna leave and it took all 33 girls on the team to prove that.”
The second quarter was where Princeton took control. The Tigers tied the game in the second minute with a goal from Watson, but the Quakers regained their lead right away.
Fortunately for the Orange and Black, they soon found a surge. First-year midfielder Becca Kirschner tied it again in the fourth minute, and then senior attacker Jami MacDonald scored twice in less than a minute to put the Tigers up 7–5.
Princeton’s pace only increased as the quarter went on. Morrisroe scored twice more and senior midfielder Maggie Molnar converted off a feed from MacDonald.
“After being down 4–0, we then proceeded to score 10 of the next 11 goals, making it 10–5,” Roberts wrote. “After that run we never looked back and pretty much slammed the door on Penn.”
The Orange and Black stayed aggressive in the third. Molnar opened the half with a finish off an assist from Dora. The Quakers pulled one back, but MacDonald added two more right away to extend the Tigers’ lead to 13–6.
Penn answered with two goals late in the quarter, but Dora converted on a man-up opportunity in the final minutes to keep a 14–8 margin heading into the fourth.
The Quakers continued to fight, but the Tigers stayed composed. Penn scored twice to cut into Princeton’s lead, but with three minutes left in the match, junior midfielder Colette Quinn finished an assist from MacDonald to make it 15–10 and close out the scoring.
Dora finished with eight points, recording seven assists and one goal, while MacDonald and Morrisroe each scored four goals. Senior goalkeeper Amelia Hughes made 10 saves, helping the Tigers control the tempo for much of the night.
Handling the hosts
Coming off of the big semifinal win on Friday, Princeton turned their sights to hosts Yale as the only opponent standing between them and the Ivy League Tournament crown. Having displayed stifling defense in the semifinal against Brown (8–7, 4–3) and in their decisive 16–8 victory over the Tigers in late March, the Bulldogs entered the championship game as favorites.
Throughout much of the early stages, the Orange and Black was able to keep Hughes out of harm’s way. An opening-minute goal from Dora drew first blood for the Tigers. The Bulldogs responded quickly with one of their own but found little to no offensive success for the remainder of the first quarter.
With under a minute to play in the opening frame, Princeton found themselves deep in Bulldog territory and threatening to take the lead. MacDonald found a streaking Molnar who fired the ball into the back of the net, putting Princeton up 2–1 heading into the second quarter.
“Our defense made so many stops and as an offensive unit we tried to build off that momentum and score as many goals as possible,” Dora wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “It was a total team effort all of the field.”
The Tigers’ offensive success didn’t stop there. Early into the second quarter, Dora linked up with Kirschner to convert, and a few minutes later Quinn added one of her own to make the score 4–1.
With under three minutes to play in the first half, the Orange and Black looked to be in a comfortable position. However, the Bulldogs refused to go down without a fight. Yale suddenly found its offensive stride, successfully firing three shots into the Princeton net.
Within the blink of an eye, the game was all even at 4–4 as the teams headed into the break.
“The vibes in the locker room at halftime were quiet but concentrated,” Roberts wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “We were all on the same page. We had 30 minutes to prove that we were the better team.”
As the second half began, the championship game became a back-and-forth affair. Molnar gave the Tigers an early lead, which was met by a goal from the Bulldogs just a minute later. Soon after, Morrisroe restored the Orange and Black’s lead at 6–5.
With the Tigers in front heading into the final stretch of the quarter, the Bulldogs once again found a surge. Yale scored three unanswered goals in the final five minutes, including a buzzer-beating shot past Hughes to put the hosts up 8–6 heading into the final frame.
While it seemed as though the Bulldogs had all the momentum in the contest, Princeton yet again invoked its ability to find an answer when it mattered most.
The Tigers went on an absolute tear, beginning with MacDonald and Molnar quickly firing the Orange and Black even at 8–8. And, with under 10 minutes to go in the deadlocked championship contest, one of Princeton’s most reliable veteran players made the difference.
Dora beat her defender one-on-one behind the net before firing an angled shot past the Yale goalkeeper in what was her second goal of the game and 22nd of the season. With Princeton now in the lead, the Tigers didn’t look back.
Shortly after, Quinn added to the Tigers’ lead, which was followed by yet another goal from Watson. Molnar added one more for good measure, and Princeton closed out the afternoon with a 12–8 victory.
“For the seniors, yesterday was the culmination of four years of dedication and commitment showing up in real time,” Roberts wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I couldn’t be prouder of us.”
The No. 16 Tigers’ first game in the NCAA tournament will be against No. 20 Rutgers (10–8, 4–4 Big Ten Conference) on Friday, May 8 in College Park, Md. The Orange and Black will look to extend their six-game winning streak.
Kai Kim is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’ He can be reached at kaikim[at]princeton.edu.
Lucas Nor is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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