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Princeton University Athletics
Women's Lacrosse Opens 2006 Season Saturday at No. 8 Johns Hopkins
February 28, 2006 | Women's Lacrosse
Feb. 28, 2006
The Princeton women's lacrosse team, currently ranked No. 3 in the IWLCA poll, begins its 2006 season Saturday afternoon when it faces No. 8 Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field in Baltimore at 5 p.m.
The game will be televised nationally by ESPNU on a tape-delayed basis at 11 p.m. and, for viewers in the Baltimore area, on WMAR-TV 2 beginning at 12:05 a.m.
Princeton, which returns eight starters from last year's 13-5 team that reached the NCAA quarterfinals, will play four of its first five games on the road. The Tigers' home opener is March 12, when No. 2 Duke visits Class of 1952 Stadium for an 11 a.m. game that will be televised live by ESPNU.
Head coach Chris Sailer is now in her 20th season at Princeton and enters the season just three wins away from 250 for her career.
The Tigers defeated Hopkins 9-6 in last year's season opener at Class of 1952 Stadium.
2006 Princeton Women's Lacrosse Season Outlook
You don't win two national championships, make five straight NCAA final fours and reach the NCAA tournament eight years in a row without your share of stars.
But, as the Princeton women's lacrosse team enters its first season since 2000 where it hadn't reached the national semifinals the year before, the focus must shift away from those stars and onto the Tigers as a unit.
"The strengths of this team are its speed, its athleticism and its balance," says Chris Sailer, who begins her 20th season as head coach of the Tigers just three wins away from 250 in her career. "We need to play well together and take advantage of our depth to make up for who has graduated."
The facts say that Princeton has just one All-America, defender Lauren Vance, returning from last year's 13-5 team that reached the NCAA quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Northwestern. The facts say that Princeton lost more than half of its 213 goals in 2005 to graduation. The facts say that the Tigers lost Sarah Kolodner, the winningest goalie in team history. But the reality also says that this is Princeton women's lacrosse, and the Tigers have plenty of players waiting for their chance to turn into the stars of 2006 and tomorrow.
"Not being at the final weekend last year has refocused us, and we have a great attitude heading into the season," says Sailer. "There's going to be a lot of competition for playing time, and we have an excellent freshman class which will be a good thing for us," Sailer says."
Here is a look at Sailer's 2006 Princeton women's lacrosse team, position-by-position:
ATTACK
It probably is unlikely that one player will replace the 55 goals scored by two-time first-team All-America Lindsey Biles in 2005. Instead, there's a good chance that a whole group of players will contribute to what could be a tremendously deep and talented unit.
Making that unit a bit less inexperienced is junior Kathleen Miller, a player who played a lot of midfield in her first two years but should play mostly attack in 2006. Miller was never healthy in 2005 due to a chronic back injury, but she still led Princeton with 17 assists, finished second on the team with 43 points and earned honorable mention all-league honors.
"Kathleen is a very talented player and a great presence on attack," says Sailer. "We hope she is strong and healthy this season."
There are plenty of players in line to compete for the remaining attack spots in the rotation. Junior Mary Minshall was a starter for much of last season and missed by just one goal of being the seventh Princeton player with 10 goals a year ago. Sophomore Ashley Amo was one of the six who did finish in double digits in 2005, finishing with 11, and she is an excellent finisher in front of the cage. Olachi Opara, a senior, looks fully healthy in 2006 and should improve on her seven goals from a year ago. Jamie Sundheim, also a senior, returned from offseason knee surgery last season and has scored big goals for Princeton in the past.
Sophomore Katie Atkins, who suffered a stress fracture in her foot in the preseason that kept her off the field in 2005, should also be a contributor now that she's back on the field, as could fellow sophomore Julie McWilliams.
"We think all of those players have gotten better and are threats to score when they're on the field," says Sailer. "There's a good combination of vision and playmaking abilities along with goal scoring in that group."
Sailer is also excited about a freshman duo that will compete for starting positions on attack. Anne Murray, a Pittsburgh native, scored 169 goals and had 69 assists in her final two seasons at Mt. Lebanon High School. Massachusetts native Christine Casaceli has terrific offensive moves and was an All-America in 2005 at Longmeadow High School.
MIDFIELD
On the whole, thanks mostly to the graduation of the dynamic Elizabeth Pillion, Princeton's midfield will be its most inexperienced unit as the 2006 season begins. Pillion is serving as a volunteer assistant for the Tigers in 2006, so her presence will still be felt on and off the field.
But that inexperience certainly doesn't mean the midfield can't be a strength for the Tigers, thanks in part to some terrific infusions from the freshman class.
A certainty in the midfield for Princeton is sophomore Katie Lewis-Lamonica, a heralded recruit who was simply outstanding as a freshman in 2005. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a second-team All-Ivy pick, she scored 28 goals, second on the team, and became more of a factor as the season progressed. She also proved to be a terrific defensive player and finished second on the team with 28 ground balls.
"Katie is a terrific two-way player," Sailer says. "She was just as tough defensively last season on some of the best attackers in the country as she was on offense."
Junior Caitlin Reimers, one of three team captains for the Tigers in 2006, is a two-year starter who, thanks to her athleticism and energy, has played all over the field during her career. Reimers, a great transition player who finished second on the team with 35 ground balls and 26 draw controls a year ago, is a player who can contribute in every aspect of the game.
"Caitlin has become more poised and proficient on offense," Sailer says. "She has always been a great leader and a hard worker."
Christine Dobrosky, also a junior, started four games a year ago and had six goals. Dobrosky, who had 10 points as a freshman, had an outstanding 2005 fall season and should play more than a complementary role this season.
Courtney Bird, a sophomore, started four games early last season and had six goals and eight ground balls. Alex Gangler, a junior, had five goals on five shots in nine games last season and should vie for playing time this year.
Sailer is very excited about a trio of talented, confident and athletic freshmen who are already making an immediate impact on the Tiger midfield. Katie Cox, Holly McGarvie and Kristin Schwab are all quick, fast and smart players who run the field well and make great decisions. Their hustle and game sense will go a long way in bolstering Princeton's midfield play.
DEFENSE
A year ago, Princeton's defensive unit was probably its most inexperienced group heading into the season. After an outstanding season that saw that defense allow only eight goals per game, the same question marks aren't there.
The defensive unit starts with Vance, a three-year starter and certainly Princeton's top one-on-one defender the past two seasons. A second-team All-America and unanimous first-team All-Ivy League pick in 2005, she led Princeton's field players with 49 ground balls and also led the team with 36 caused turnovers.
"Lauren is a great leader. She'll be the only four-year starter on the field when the season gets going," says Sailer. "She is really our driving force in so many ways."
Senior Caitlin Abidin played extremely well in her first year as a starter in 2005, and she is another defensive leader and captain for the Tigers in 2006. Abidin had 20 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers a year ago and is a player who can also carry the ball into the offensive zone with athleticism and size.
"Caitlin is an excellent decision-maker and communicator, Sailer says. "She knows how to use her size and reach to her advantage against attackers."
Sophomore Norris Novak became a starter on defense midway through the 2005 season and excelled. She had 19 ground balls and eight caused turnovers on the season and delivered an element of quickness and speed to Princeton's defensive unit that will continue in 2006.
Sophomore Alison Murray was also a starter on defense for Princeton right from the beginning of her freshman season, and only injury limited her as the season went on. She played in 14 games, started 11 and had 24 ground balls, among the top 10 on the team in that category.
Anita Rackovan, a senior, was on her way to playing a key role on defense last season before suffering a season-ending knee surgery against Loyola in the second game of the season. If healthy, Rackovan has the speed and heart to become a key part of Princeton's defense again in 2006.
Added to the defensive mix in 2006 is a freshman, Marie McKenna, whose playmaking abilities will be a big asset to the Tiger defensive unit.
GOALIE
Princeton caught lightning in a bottle in 2002 when Kolodner stepped up in an uncertain goalie situation and never left the starting position. The goalie position in 2006 is also up for grabs but not nearly as uncertain.
One of the reasons for that is junior Colleen O'Boyle, who saw a significant amount of action in 2005, including a stretch of six straight games in midseason. Her eight second-half saves against Yale helped propel Princeton to a big win, and she finished the year with an 8.92 goals-against average.
"Colleen played well last year and gained confidence both for herself and the confidence of her teammates," Sailer says. "Her improvement from her freshman year to now has been tremendous."
But the position is still up in the air for 2006 thanks to sophomore Meg Murray, who had an outstanding fall season for the Tigers. A former U.S. Under-19 Team goalie, Murray makes up for her smaller stature with quickness and energy in the cage.
"Meg probably had the edge coming out of the fall, but there's still a whole lot of competition for the position," says Sailer. "I could envision a situation where both goalies play, especially because they both offer some different things."
Murray saw 27 minutes of action in reserve duty last year and allowed just two goals in that time.
THE FINAL WORD
Princeton reached the national championship game four times in five years from 2000 through 2004, so it certainly was a different ending for the Tigers in 2005. All in all, the Tigers have reached the season's final weekend 10 times in the last 14 seasons.
But the disappointment in 2005 will only serve to help the young Tigers as 2006 arrives.
"I think there's a tendency to assume that you're just going to get there every year when you go for five years in a row," Sailer says. "Sometimes you forget that there's a lot required of you to make it to the final four. We've talked a lot about that with this team."
With a schedule that includes the usual suspects, including eight of the top 12 teams in the 2006 preseason rankings, a lot of hard work will be required for Princeton to return to where it wants to be, both in the Ivy League and nationally. But Sailer feels her Tigers are up to that challenge.
"We have the makings of a good team because there are plenty of upperclassmen and some really good new people," she says. "How well they mesh and play together will go a long way to determining our success."