Women's Lacrosse Takes On No. 22 Penn State In Happy Valley

Saturday, February 24

University Park, Pa.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

No. 22 Penn State

Photo by: Brian McWalters

Women's Lacrosse Takes On No. 22 Penn State In Happy Valley

February 22, 2024 | Women's Lacrosse

Game 2 – Princeton at No. 22 Penn State
February 24 | 1 p.m. | Panzer Stadium
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SAY GRACE!
Grace Tauckus reached the 100-point mark at Penn on April 19 of 2023 and enters this weekend as the active leading scorer among Princeton players with 115 points. She is closing in on 100 career goals, taking the field this weekend needing just three goals to reach the century mark. Tauckus averages 2.80 points-per-game over her 41 career games, scoring her 97 goals on 139 shots on goal – scoring on 70% of her shots which reach goal.

Tauckus now has scored at least one goal in 40 of her 41 career games and scored 2+ in 29 of her 41 appearances. In 2023, she had eight multi-goal games, and she already has one in 2024 after scoring four times as part of a six-point afternoon at Virginia. That effort was one off her career high of seven points (4g, 3a) in the 2022 Ivy League Tournament final against Yale.

KEEPING TRACK OF KARI
Kari Buonanno is another Tiger with more than 100 career points, entering this weekend with 105 points over her career on 70 goals and 35 assists. With 36 career games played, she is averaging 2.92 points-per-game for her Princeton career. She has scored at least one goal in 31 of her 36 games she has played as a Tiger, and set a new career highs with 29 goals and 19 assists for 48 points over her 16 games this season. She also set a new single-season best with 44 draw controls. She has 16 points over her last six games entering this weekend.

SHAKE AND BLAKE!
Junior McKenzie Blake has put together two pretty consistent seasons over her first two collegiate campaigns, following up a 46-point rookie season with a 47-point sophomore season in 2023. After a two-point first game in 2024, she enters this weekend with 95 career points on 76 goals and 19 assists for an average of 2.71 points-per-game. After playing a true two-way game as a first-year with 12 caused turnovers and 34 grounds balls, she focused more on attack and the draw circle last year where she contributed 21 draw controls. She already has set a single-game career high with seven draw controls win this season at Virginia.

MACDONALD'S SERVING UP POINTS
Sophomore attacker Jami MacDonald posted a 42-point first year in 2023, scoring 24 goals and adding 18 assists. Her opening game for 2024 continued that pace as she tallied four points (1g, 3a) at Virginia – matching her career-best for assists in a game. She is following the lead of her older brother Mike, a 2015 Princeton graduate and a Roper Trophy winner as the top senior male athlete in his class who ranks fifth all-time with the Princeton men in career points with 208.

COMING UP HUGHES
Sophomore goalkeeper Amelia Hughes has acclimated herself well to college lacrosse, drawing the start in each game to commence her career. She has registered 10+ saves in 10 of her 17 games, and has six games with a save percentage north of .500. Her high-water mark in saves in a game came in a 19-save performance at Temple in 2023 which earned IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week honors.

ON THE DRAW
Princeton had the edge on draw controls in its opener over Virginia, 19-10. McKenzie Blake led the way with seven, while Ellie Mueller had five and Samantha DeVito had four.

DEVITO FILLS THE STAT SHEET
Samantha DeVito does a little bit of everything for the Tigers. Last year she tallied 12 points (9g, 3a), 23 draw controls, 15 ground balls and 8 caused turnovers. She had two goals to go with her four draw controls in the opener at Virginia.

HAVEN SENT!
Starting with the stretch run in 2023, Haven Dora has become a key part of Princeton's attack. Dating back to last season, she has 17 points (9g, 8a) over her last six games with 3+ points in four of those games. Last weekend against Virginia she had three points (1g, 2a) and two ground balls.

KNOW THE NAME NINA
Junior Nina Montes has 49 points in 33 career games, scoring 39 times and adding 10 assists. She can score in bunches, last season she had four games with 3+ goals, but totaled just four over her other 11 appearances.

SOPHIE IS SO GOOD!
Junior Sophie Whiteway is a key cog on the defensive side of the midfield with 109 career draw controls, 24 caused turnovers and 29 ground balls in 35 career games played. She is also capable when called upon in the attacking third with 31 career goals and 38 total points. She was involved as usual in the opener with a goal, an assist, three caused turnovers, three groundballs and a draw control at Virginia.

LET's COOK!
Jenn Cook is in her second season as head coach of the Tigers and 12th overall on staff at Princeton. The 2007 North Carolina grad took over for Hall of Famer Chris Sailer after serving 10 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach. During her 10 previous years with the Tigers, Cook has been part of seven Ivy League championships during the eight seasons contest around COVID-19 pauses. She has helped guide the Tigers to eight NCAA appearances in those eight full seasons, reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals three times. A three-time All-American and two-time Tewaaraton Award nominee as a player, Cook was the 2007 Inside Lacrosse Defender of the Year and graduated as the Tar Heel's all-time leader in ground balls (200) and games played (76). Cook's first career win came on February 25 at Temple via a 17-9 victory, and her first career win over a Top-25 opponent was an 18-12 win at No. 14 Rutgers on March 1.