Princeton's 11-Game Win Streak Halted by No. 1 Boston College in NCAA Quarterfinals

Saturday, May 18

Newton, Mass.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

16-4

#1 Boston College

21-1

Princeton

Boston College

Photo by: Patrick Tewey

Princeton's 11-Game Win Streak Halted by No. 1 Boston College in NCAA Quarterfinals

May 18, 2019 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

The Princeton women's lacrosse team went toe-to-toe with a powerhouse Boston College team for the first 30 minutes, or 30:55 to be exact. That's when Tess D'Orsi scored on the first possession of the second half, tying the NCAA quarterfinal game and keeping Tiger dreams of a Final Four appearance alive.

And then, in a blink, Boston College did what almost nobody else could do to Princeton. The Eagles scored five times in less than three minutes, essentially putting things out of reach.

When it ended, BC had a 17-12 win –its margin of victory equaling that 5-0 run - and Princeton had to settle for an Ivy League championship, an Ivy League tournament championship and two NCAA wins to reach this round.

BC advances to next weekend's semifinals against North Carolina at Johns Hopkins. Princeton saw its 11-game winning streak end.

"We knew how challenging this game was going to be," said Princeton head coach Chris Sailer. "Boston College is a great team, one that certainly has as good a chance as any to win the national championship. We were confident coming in. We're all sad to see it end like this, but that's what happens in the tournament. I'm so proud of this team and its effort and what we accomplished this year."

Boston College was last year's NCAA runner-up and the owner of 20 wins in 21 tries coming into this game. The Eagles, the second seed in the tournament, had been ranked first or second all season.

Until that five-goal second half spurt, these were two even teams. BC led 2-0 early, but Princeton came back to tie it and eventually scored three straight to go from down one to up 6-4 with 7:52 left in the first half.

Both teams played with ferocity on both ends of the field, and it made every possession intense. BC ended the half with three straight of its own to go up 7-6 at the break, but D'Orsi's goal less than a minute into the second half tied it.

And then, boom, BC scored five times before Princeton had a settled possession again.

"They're so tough on the draw," Sailer said. "Possession was going to be huge, and they were able to string a bunch together to start the second half and turn them into goals. It was hard to dig out of that."

The game marked the end of the careers of Princeton's dynamic Class of 2019, a group of seven players who all played and were major contributors. Those seniors – Nonie Andersen, Alex Argo, Elizabeth George, Kathryn Hallett, Julia Haney, Izzy Mangan and Allie Rogers – were part of four straight Ivy League championships, three Ivy tournament championships and four straight NCAA appearances.

The Tigers of course never quit, and Marge Donovan got the team one more possession with a diving caused turnover in the last minute. Fittingly, the final Princeton goal came from Elizabeth George with 22.1 seconds left, giving her 142 for her career, ninth-best at Princeton.

"I can't say enough good things about our seniors," Sailer said. "They all made a real difference on the field, but beyond that, they did such a great job of leading our team. They made coming to practice each day so much fun. They certainly have left a tremendous legacy to Princeton lacrosse."

Hallett led Princeton with four goals, tying her career high, while Rogers added three.

D'Orsi's goal gave her 64 for the year, tying Kyla Sears from last year for second-best in a season in Princeton history. Elizabeth George finished the season with 62, fourth-best.

Sears had a goal and two assists, giving her 95 points for the year, second-best in program history.