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Princeton University Athletics
1999 Women's Lacrosse Review
October 11, 1999 | Women's Lacrosse
With every new season there are changes to be made. The women's lacrosse team left the friendly confines of 1952 Stadium turf for the grass of Princeton Stadium, where the Tigers would boast a perfect 6-0 record. Despite the jump cross-campus, one thing did not change. The Princeton Tigers proved once again to be a national powerhouse in the world of collegiate women's lacrosse.
The Tigers, ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll, got out of the gates early with a 17-3 win against Maryland-Baltimore County in the first lacrosse game in Princeton Stadium. Senior Tice Burke exploded for seven points on four goals and three assists. The Tigers continued their homestand a week later as they hosted local foe Rutgers. A close game at halftime turned into a six-goal victory as the Tigers picked up a 13-7 win.
Princeton erased a 4-1 deficit and outscored the Scarlet Knights 7-1 in the second half for the win under the lights.
The Tigers headed south over spring break for a pair of games against nationally ranked Duke and Virginia. After taking a 3-1 early lead, the Tigers found themselves playing comeback in the second half against the No. 5 Blue Devils in Durham. Princeton scored three goals in the final six minutes, including two by Cristi Samaras, but that was not quite enough as the Tigers fell 11-8.
The Tigers then headed to Charlottesville for a showdown with the third-ranked Cavaliers. Princeton's Burke drove the crease and scored with 1:39 to go in the third sudden victory as the Tigers upset the Cavaliers 9-8. The win was Princeton's first oer the Wahoos in Charlottesville since 1995.
Princeton returned to Old Nassau to open league play against an up-and-coming Columbia team. Samaras scored her first of five goals with just over three minutes expired in the first half en route to a 16-1 Princeton victory. Two days later the Tigers welcomed Penn State to Princeton for what would be the first of two battles against the Nittany Lions this season. The Tigers used a five-goal performance from Samaras to edge Penn State 9-8.
To round out March, the Tigers embarked on a four-game, road trip that began in the nation's capital against Georgetown. Possibly a little flat after the Penn State game, the Tigers found themselves trailing 5-1 at halftime against the Hoyas. Princeton scored two goals in the final eight minutes, but left with a 10-4 loss. Princeton bounced back and rattled off six consecutive wins, including four in Ivy action. Against Cornell the freshman duo of Kim Smith and Charlotte Kenworthy each tallied three goals in the 12-4 win. The Orange and Black needed overtime to knock off Delaware in Newark. Smith and Burke each scored a goal in the extra periods to lift the Tigers to a 10-8 victory. In the final game of the road trip, Princeton used a 9-1 second half explosion to defeat Yale 12-7. Samaras tallied four goals, including three in the second stanza, while Smith added three scores.
In the 13th meeting between Princeton and Harvard in Coach Sailer's tenure, the crowd at Princeton Stadium witnessed the Orange and Black win its seventh straight against the Crimson. Julie Shaner and Kenworthy each scored three goals in the 17-5 Tiger win. Four days later Princeton traveled to Philadelphia for a 17-3 win over the Quakers. All 25 Tigers saw action as Princeton improved to 11-2 on the year before heading to New Hampshire for a shot at Dartmouth and an Ivy title.
For the past six years Princeton and Dartmouth have played some of the Ivy League's most historic games in the sport. On April 24, a new chapter was written, and it bore just as much drama as any of the previous 22 meetings between the schools. With 13 seconds remaining in regulation, Liz Merritt converted a feed in front of the goal to give the Big Green an 8-7 win and the Ivy crown.
The Tigers were forced to regroup for a game against the top ranked, and eventual national champion, Maryland Terrapins in College Park. The crowd at Ludwig Field saw one of the closest games either team played all year. The contest had ties at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and 7-7. The Terps took a 7-5 lead with 13 minutes to play before Samaras tallied back-to-back goals to even the issue at seven with less than four minutes in regulation. Terrapin Quinn Carney took a long feed and scored in the 69th minute for the 8-7 Maryland victory.
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Tigers wanted a big finish before the NCAA selection, and they did not disappoint. Fourteen Tigers tallied at least one point as Princeton scored 13 goals in the second half for an 18-2 win over Brown.
With one of the most challenging schedules and one of the best records, the selection committee rewarded the Tigers for a job well done. Princeton earned the fourth seed in the NCAA tournament and a bye in the opening round. For the second time this season, the Tigers hosted Penn State, this time in the NCAA quarterfinals at the Class of 1952 Stadium. Trailing 7-6 in the final minute, Samaras scored with 19 seconds left for a 7-7 tie at the end of regulation. The Nittany Lions responded with a goal in each overtime for the 9-7 victory.
With another impressive Ivy campaign, a collection of victories over nationally ranked teams and their seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament this decade, the Tigers proved they are definitely among the nation's elite.
Highlights
Cristi Samaras earned Ivy League Player of the Year accolades for the second consecutive year. Samaras set University records for career points (270) and
goals (189).
Lucy Small was honored as the IWCLA National Defender of the Year. Along with Samaras, Small was also a first-team All-America selection.
Amber Mettler was named a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America for District II.
Results
12-5 overall, 6-1 Ivy League
Princeton received a fourth seed and a first-round bye in the 1999 NCAA tournament. Princeton hosted Penn
State in the NCAA quarterfinals at the Class of 1952 Stadium.
| 3/7 | MD.-BALT. COUNTY | W | 17-3 |
| 3/13 | RUTGERS | W | 13-7 |
| 3/16 | at Duke | L | 11-8 |
| 3/16 | at Virginia | W | *** 9-8 |
| 3/24 | COLUMBIA | W | 16-1 |
| 3/26 | PENN STATE | W | 9-8 |
| 3/28 | at Georgetown | L | 10-4 |
| 4/3 | at Cornell | W | 12-4 |
| 4/6 | at Delaware | W | * 10-8 |
| 4/10 | at Yale | W | 12-7 |
| 4/14 | TEMPLE | W | 11-5 |
| 4/17 | HARVARD | W | 17-5 |
| 4/21 | at Pennsylvania | W | 17-3 |
| 4/24 | at Dartmouth | L | 8-7 |
| 4/28 | at Maryland | L | *** 8-7 |
| 5/1 | BROWN | W | 18-2 |
| 5/8 | PENN STATE # | L | * 7-8 |
* - overtime
# - NCAA quarterfinals