High Standards; Higher Goals: No. 6 Women's Lacrosse 2020 Outlook

Photo by: Patrick Tewey

High Standards; Higher Goals: No. 6 Women's Lacrosse 2020 Outlook

February 07, 2020 | Women's Lacrosse

The next installment of Princeton Women's Lacrosse opens on February 15 as the Tigers visit Temple to commence the 2020 season.

Once again, Princeton enters a campaign with an eye towards defending an Ivy League crown as 2019 saw both an Ivy League regular season and tournament championship hoisted by the Tigers. In May, the Tigers went on to reach the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in five years and finished with a No. 6 national ranking.

That No. 6 spot is where the Tigers enter 2020 overall, with all three major preseason polls slotting Princeton sixth. Princeton will have ample opportunity to defend – and improve – that ranking with six games in 2020 against opponents ranked inside the Top-25.

"We're ready to go," said Hall of Fame head coach Chris Sailer. "There is a great culture amongst our group and tremendous leadership starting with our seniors. It is inspiring to have a group that is so unified in its pursuit of our common goal. The fall season was a period of real growth for the team, as players adjusted to new roles, and the work they put in had us prepared when 2020 arrived and especially in the short sprint from February 1 to the season opener."

Princeton returns four All-Ivy players from last season, including three – Marge Donovan, Kyla Sears and Sam Fish – who have earned Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American honors.
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All total, 21 players with previous Princeton experience are back for 2020 – each of whom has won an Ivy League championship each year on campus.

"We have high expectations at Princeton, and we don't shy away from them," said Sailer. "We think we're ahead of where we were this time last year, and that is exciting for us given the talented players who graduated from the 2019 team. We are looking to further develop a balanced offense, and having a veteran group back on defense will give us confidence to open up on attack."

Attack
Starters Returning: Tess D'Orsi (64-16-80), Kyla Sears (55-40-95)
Starters Lost: Elizabeth George (62-25-87), Julia Haney (16-20-36)
Letterwinners Returning: Gaby Hamburger (0-0-0), Jordan Marcus (DNP), Katie Reilly (2-1-3), Tara Shecter (0-0-0)
Letterwinners Lost: Allie Rogers (26-10-36).
Newcomers: Meghan Curran, Jordan Marcus, Grace Tauckus, Kate Mulham (DNP; Injured in 2019)

First-team All-Ivy and Preseason All-American Kyla Sears returns for her junior year, joined by second-team All-Ivy selection Tess D'Orsi. Over just two seasons, Kyla Sears has amassed 178 career points. She more than doubled her assist total from her freshman season during last year's sophomore campaign, evolving into a true dual-threat on attack. D'Orsi surpassed her previous career high by 24 points last year, setting new personal career bests in goals, assists and points. The graduation of the Class of 2019 hits the attack hard, with three of last year's top six scorers having moved on. 2019 Ivy League Attacker of the Year Elizabeth George leads that group, and Princeton will not only have to replace her 87 points but also her team-high 88 draw controls.

Tri-captain Katie Reilly has developed into an offensive threat with Sailer praising her improvement as a low attacker. Sophomore Kate Mulham missed all of 2019 with an injury, but is healthy and poised for her first active season after scoring 59 goals as a senior in high school on her way to All-American honors. Freshman Grace Tauckus is "developing as we hoped" according to Sailer and brings a competitive spirit to the attacking unit entering her first collegiate season.

Midfield
Starters Returning: None
Starters Lost: Kathryn Hallett (35-9-44; 36 DCs)
Letterwinners Returning: Shannon Berry (2-4-6), Annie Cory (DNP), Lucie Gildehaus (2-0-2), Maria Pansini (6-2-8), Shea Smith (0-0-0), Lilian Stout (4-0-4; Injured and out for 2020)
Letterwinners Lost: Izzy Mangan (13-4-17; 19 DCs)
Newcomers: Kari Buonanno

Tri-Captain Annie Cory missed all of 2019 with injury, but returns for her senior season. Last time we saw her on the field, she had 12 goals and 13 caused turnovers during the 2018 season. Lucie Gildehaus has returned to campus for the 2020 season showing signs of continued development and is pushing for an increased role. Despite pitching in six points last season, Shannon Berry's true value to the midfield may lie in a defensive role, while classmate Maria Pansini returns as the Tigers' 3rd leading scorer.  Kari Buonanno is a two-way midfielder who can do a little bit of everything. Her abilities to score, feed and mark her opponent has Sailer and the coaching staff excited about the various ways she can be used at midfield.

Defense
Starters Returning: Marge Donovan (28 CT, 43 GB), Mary Murphy (17 CT, 22 GB), Olivia Pugh (12 CT, 18 GB), Maddie Staczek (3 CT, 3 GB)
Starters Lost: Nonie Andersen (17 CT, 27 GB), Alex Argo (22 CT, 31 GB)
Letterwinners Returning: Annie Price (1 GB)
Letterwinners Lost: None
Newcomers: Caroline Burnett, Taylor DeGroff, Katherine McIntire, Christy Sieber, Abbie Wilhelm

Three returning starters – Marge Donovan, Mary Murphy and Olivia Pugh – return for a third season after starting since the day they arrived on campus. A Preseason All-American, Donovan was an honorable mention All-Ivy selection last season and has 80 ground balls over her first two seasons. She will play a large role in the draw control as well, as she had 70 DCs in 2018 as a freshman. Mary Murphy has twice earned All-Tournament honors at the Ivy League Tournament, shining brightest on the big stage. Fellow junior, Olivia Pugh, has 37 career starts to her credit. Senior Maddie Staczek, who saw significant time last year, will continue to play a big role as defensive starter.  The beauty of returning so much experience on the back end is that a crop of newcomers will have time to develop.

Goalkeeper
Starters Returning: Sam Fish (16-4; .482 sv; 10.48 GAA)
Starters Lost: None
Letterwinners Returning: Lucy Norton
Letterwinners Lost: None
Newcomers: Emma Briger

2019 first-team All-Ivy selection and 2020 Preseason All-American Sam Fish returns for her junior season. A two-time All-Ivy selection, Fish has 26 wins over her two seasons and 334 saves. She's as consistent as they come, and her presence between the pipes allows Princeton to play the brand of defense it wants to play.

Lucy Norton was the backup last season and returns, while freshman Emma Briger rounds out the trio of keepers. Briger was a two-time All-American at Sacred Heart Prep in California and has played for Israel's U19 National Team.