Syracuse, N.Y. - For the second year in a row, the NCAA women's lacrosse championship game will feature the Princeton Tigers. A hard-fought 5-3 win over No. 1 seed Loyola sends the Orange and Black back to the title game for the third time in the last four years. Princeton advanced on Friday night by winning eight of 10 draw controls and outshooting the Greyhounds 19-7.
"The key in our past few games has been controlling the draws," says junior Theresa Sherry, who had two draw controls herself. "The hustle around the circle and off the lines has helped us win games by simply possessing the ball."
The Tigers struck first when senior Rachael Becker led a fast break into the 12-meter arc and dished off to senior Whitney Miller, who put home the game's first goal at 8:48. Leigh Slonaker followed with a free-position goal on the ensuing possession and Princeton had a two-goal advantage less than 10 minutes into the Semifinal matchup.
Defense and strong goalie play dominted the first half with the Tigers causing five turnovers while Loyola goalie Kim Lawton registered five saves, stopping two Princeton free-position attempts. The Greyhounds put two in the cage with Suzanne Eyler and Kristi Korrow each notching goals and the halftime score was even at 2-2.
Eyler gave Loyola the lead early in the second half with her second goal of the night. Sophomore Elizabeth Pillion, who had scored three goals in each of Princeton's last three games, answered with back-to-back goals and the Tigers led 4-3 with 12:33 remaining in regulation.
"At that point in the game, we just working the ball into spots that would give us an advantage," says Pillion. "I just took the ball to the goal and fortunately it went it for me."
Sherry put the game away with a wide-open shot-on-goal at 58:38 to give the Tigers their seventh straight NCAA tournament win. Princeton extended its win streak to eight games and ended Loyola's best season in program history. The Greyhounds finish 17-2 on the year, setting a school record for wins.
Pillion led the Tigers with two goals, Miller, Sherry and Leigh Slonaker each added one goal in the win. Senior Alex Fiore, who leads Princeton in ground balls this season, picked up seven while freshman Lauren Vance picked up five in her fifth start of the year. Sophomore Lindsey Biles had a team-high three draw controls and Sarah Kolodner had three saves and improved to 7-0 in postseason play.
"We're very excited to be back playing for a national championship," says Princeton Head Coach Chris Sailer. "It was a rough start as players had to grow into their new roles. We had to come together after losing seven seniors from last year's championship team and they have done a tremendous job."
The Tigers, now 15-4 overall, played for their second straight national title on Sunday May 20. You can watch the action on CSTV on Wednesday, May 28 at 8 p.m.
The Division III final can be seen on CSTV on Thursday, May 29 at 8 p.m..
