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Princeton University Athletics
16-0! Women's Lacrosse Finishes Perfect Regular Season with 5-4 Win at Brown
May 01, 2004 | Women's Lacrosse
May 1, 2004
Box Score
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Nothing really went perfectly for the Princeton women's lacrosse team Saturday afternoon at Brown. But in the end, the Tigers did exactly what was needed to ensure a perfect regular season.
Trailing at halftime for just the second time this season, the Tigers used a game-tying goal early in the second half from Elizabeth Pillion, two huge goals later in the half from Lindsey Biles and some stout defense throughout the final 30 minutes on the way to a 5-4 win over the Bears and the first perfect regular season in team history.
The underdog Bears (6-8, 2-5 Ivy) controlled the tempo against the high-scoring Tigers (16-0, 7-0), who clinched the outright Ivy League title for the second time in three years, but fell just short of their first win over Princeton since 1991. Brown won nine of the game's 11 draw controls and had 28 groundballs to just 15 for Princeton but was held to just one goal in the game's final 31 minutes, an Amie Biros goal on a free-position shot with 3:08 left in the game. Biles scored four of Princeton's five goals, giving her 48 on the season, the fourth-highest total in school history. She scored twice in a three-minute span midway through the first half, the first one unassisted and the second one thanks to a feed from freshman Kathleen Miller, to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead with 16 minutes left in the half.
But Brown then took advantage of possession and some Princeton misplays, tying the game on goals by Lydia Denkler (with 11:07 left) and Christine Annenberg (with 3:24 on the clock) later in the half. The Bears then took the lead, 3-2, when Meg Sullivan found Sarah Passano in front of an open net with 52 seconds left before halftime.
Pillion's unassisted goal then tied the game for Princeton six minutes into the second half, and Biles then took a pass from Sherry with 18:05 left in the game to give the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish. Biles' fourth goal gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead with 7:41 left and came thanks to a feed from senior Tara Hardiman.
Julia Southard made nine saves for Brown, which stayed in the game despite committing 22 turnovers, including 13 in the first half. The Bears held Princeton's second-leading scorer, Theresa Sherry, without a goal for the first time this season, but the Princeton defense did a similar number on Brown leading scorer Kate Staley, who had no goals after entering the game with 29 for the season.
Princeton also held its opponent to five goals or fewer for the sixth time in 16 games this season. The Tigers allowed just 42 goals in seven Ivy League victories.
The Tigers, the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division I women's or men's lacrosse, not only finished the first undefeated season in team history but also won their 25th straight game dating back to last season. Princeton finished with one regular season loss three other times in program history, including the national championship seasons of 2002 and 1994.
The certain No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Princeton will now have 11 days off before its first-round game on Thurs., May 13, a game that will likely be played at home at Class of 1952 Stadium. Selections for the NCAA championship will be announced next Sun., May 9, at 6:30 p.m., and the selection show will be televised live by CSTV (DirecTV Channel 610).
NOTES: * Only one other team in NCAA Division I women's lacrosse has less than two losses--Northwestern, which is 13-1 and the likely automatic qualifier from the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC). Princeton assistant coach Keely McDonald, who played at Brown, was an assistant coach at Northwestern the last two seasons.
* Princeton outscored its opponents 209-99 in its perfect regular season, an average margin of victory of nearly seven goals per game.
* Princeton will likely get to play all of its NCAA tournament games at home should the Tigers continue to advance. The semifinals and championship game will be played at Princeton Stadium May 21 and 23.