Undefeated Tigers Turn Early Slugfest Into Late Rout

The Harvard women’s lacrosse team fought well, but could not hunt down the No. 1 Princeton Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Jordan Field.

The Crimson (5-7, 0-4 Ivy) was defeated 17-7, as the Tigers (13-0, 5-0 Ivy) marked number 22 in their undefeated streak.

Harvard remained in striking distance for the majority of the first half. Each team one of the two squads managed to net a tally, the other roared back with one of its own, leaving the momentum up for grabs as the period drew to a close.

After Princeton went up 2-0, senior co-captain Jen Brooks fought back, netting an unassisted goal with 19:21 left on the clock, moving the Crimson to within one.

The Tigers netted two more goals in response, though, to open up a three-point lead. Harvard junior Casey Owens answered back with a score, bringing the contest to 4-2, before the teams traded goals once more, leaving the Crimson down by two with 6:32 to go until halftime—and Harvard surprisingly close to chasing down the top team in the nation.

“We were mature and poised, and waited for the good attack,” junior attackman Catherine Sproul said. “Our offense held the ball pretty well.”

The Crimson owes much of the success of the first half to sticking with their game plan.

“We were close in the first half, and I liked that,” said Harvard coach Sara Nelson ’94. “We followed our game plan to possess the ball and slow down the play.”

The back-and-forth excitement was not to last, however. Princeton had four unanswered goals to bookend halftime, breaking out to a six-point advantage. Freshman Caroline Hines and Owens each answered with goals, trying to inch back on the lead. But the Tigers were too much to overcome.

“We became tired in the second half,” Nelson said. “They’re a fabulous team, and they outplayed us. They’re number one in the country. We couldn’t compete with them for 60 minutes.”

Owens tallied her third goal and sophomore midfielder Allison Kaveney netted her first as Princeton ran away with the game.

“Princeton was simply quicker on cuts, and had lots of shots on goal,” Sproul said. “They were able to convert on more possessions.”

Kaveney was a bright spot for Harvard, using her speed to gain possession in the midfield before burning several defenders at a time to penetrate the Tigers’ zone. The approach not only set up her goal but allowed her to distribute to open teammates when Princeton collapsed, setting up several ultimately unrealized opportunities. The Tigers’ Theresa Sherry had a stellar game, netting six goals with one assist to lead the Tigers.

Although the Crimson was defeated, they were happy with their overall performance.

“Seven goals was an accomplishment for us,” Nelson said.

Harvard returns to Jordan Field on Wednesday to take on No. 12 Dartmouth.