NCAA Tournament Opens For Women's Lacrosse Against Rutgers In College Park

Friday, May 8

College Park, Md. (SECU Stadium)

2:00 PM

Princeton University

Rutgers

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Brian Foley

NCAA Tournament Opens For Women's Lacrosse Against Rutgers In College Park

May 07, 2026 | Women's Lacrosse

Princeton (11-6, 5-2 Ivy) vs. Rutgers (10-8, 4-4 Big Ten -- NCAA Tournament First Round
May8 | 2:00 p.m. | SECU Stadium
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes

THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH RUTGERS
Princeton enters the game wih a 18-5-1 record all-time against Rutgers in a series that dates back to 1975. Princeton has won five in a row, including the
games held each of the last four years since the series was not contested from 2014-23. The two teams met earlier this season, a 15-9 win for the Tigers in Princeton. The Tigers never trailed, building an 8-1 run to open the game and never looking back.

Meg Morrisroe had five goals in the game, while Maggie Molnar added three. Rutgers had a 16-8 edge on the draw circle, but Amelia Hughes made 12 saves to negate that possession advantage.

PRINCETON IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Princeton is making its 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third in a row. The Tigers have won at least one game in each of their last two trips to the national tournament, reaching the second round in 2024 before advancing to the quarterfinals in 2025.

Princeton is 43-30 in national tournament games, including both AIAW and NCAA Tournaments and have won more games in national tournament play than any other Ivy League school. Princeton's three national championships (1994, 2002, 2003) are more than any Ivy League school.

The Tigers are playing their sixth NCAA Tournament game in College Park and first since a 15-6 loss to Maryland in the 2011 quarterfinals. The Tigers are 3-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in College Park, including two wins en route to the 1994 NCAA Championship.

TIGERS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Tigers were ranked highly in the preseason polls, slotted in at No. 6 in both the IWLCA and Nike Lacrosse polls and coming in at No. 4 in the USA Lacrosse Rankings. Princeton enters this week at No. 17 (IWLCA) and No. 16 (Kane Inside Lacrosse) with an RPI of No. 16.

The Tigers were a near-unanimous No. 1 in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll, garnering 14 of 16 first place votes and 126 total points to rank No. 1.

EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE
Princeton has played the 14th-toughest schedule of any Division I program to this point, with its 17 past opponents holding a cumulative 165-101 record (.620) this season.

The Tigers rank No. 16 in the RPI, with a 2-3 record against RPI Top-20 teams. All six of Princeton's losses are to teams ranked inside the Top-25 of the RPI.

PRINCETON AGAINST THE FIELD
The Tigers have played six of the 28 other teams in the NCAA Tournament field, owning a 3-4 record in those games. Princeton has wins over its opponent on Friday, Rutgers, as well as Yale and Penn State. The losses have come to Maryland, Stony Brook, Yale and Loyola Maryland.

TIGERS ON A ROLL ENTERING POSTSEASON
After the 2 OT loss to Penn on April 8, Princeton has won its last six games to enter May with the 11th-longest active winning streak in the country. The Tigers are averaging 15.5 goals-per-game over their last five contests, and allowing an average of 8.3.

OFFENSE ON POINT
Princeton ranks No. 2 in the Ivy League in Scoring Offense, averaging 13.7 goals-per-game. The Tigers have reached double figures in 14 of 17 games and have reached 14+ in nine of 17 games -- each a Princeton win.

BALL CONTROL
Princeton protected the rock last year, committing 221 total turnovers and ranking No. 3 in the country in turnovers-per-game (11.1) -- trailing only Florida (10.4 and Yale (10.6). Through 17 games, the Tigers are averaging 11.9 turnovers per game which is No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 13 in the country.

SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!
Princeton ranked No. 5 in the nation in shots-per-game (35.6) and was atop the Ivy League in 2025. This season, the Tigers are at 32.1 through 17 games which ranks No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 10 in the country.

AMONG THE ACTIVE LEADERS
Senior Haven Dora enters this week ranked No. 2 in assists by an active NCAA Division I player with 162 and No. 5 in assists per game (2.4). Jami MacDonald's 272 points are No. 6 among active NCAA Division I players and her 109 assists are No. 10.

Amelia Hughes has 689 saves which is No. 2 among active NCAA D1 keepers. Her 9.70 saves-per-game ranks No. 4 among active keepers.

DYNAMIC DUO
Jami MacDonald (No. 15; 4.9) and Haven Dora (No. 24; 4.5) give Princeton two of the Top-25 scorers in the country in terms of points-per-game this season. The Tigers are one of four schools to have multiple players inside the Top-25 in PPG this season -- Johns Hopkins, Arizona State, Army West Point being the others.

MacDonald (No. 1) and Dora (No. 2) are both among the Top-5 in ppg among Ivy players.

HAVEN SENT!
Haven Dora was recovering from injury during most of her freshman season in 2023, but starting with the stretch run three years ago she has become a key part of Princeton's attack. Dating back to the end of 2023, she has 250 points (88g, 162a) over her last 60 games (4.17 ppg) with 3+ points in 46 of those games. That followed a seven-game start to her career where she did not record a point.

Dora turned a 15-point rookie season in 2023 into a breakout 69-point season in 2024 as a sophomore before following that up with a show-stopping 89 points last year.

After tying the then-program record with 40 assists in 2024, she smashed that record with 60 helpers in 2025 -- setting a new Princeton single-season record and finishing three off the Ivy League's single-season record. She currently sits at 55 assists this season which are No. 2 in a season by a Princeton player.

Not only are Dora's 162 career assists a new Princeton career record, she broke the Ivy League's all-time career assist record which was previously held by Harvard's Caroline Mullahy who had 150 from 2022-25.

Dora also owns the program's single-game assist record of 7 -- set twice in 2025 over a seven day span against Delaware (2/26) and Hofstra (3/1) and again in the Ivy semifinals against Penn to also set an Ivy Tournament single-game record.

MACDONALD'S SERVING UP POINTS
Jami MacDonald posted 92 points during the 2025 season with 58 goals and 34 assists -- almost doubling the output of her first two seasons combined (97 points on 58 goals and 39 assists).

MacDonald had zero points in the 2025 opener, but then dropped all 92 over her last 19 games. The high point of the season was a 5-goal, 5-assist day against Harvard which tied Princeton's single-game record for points with 10 -- the most by a Princeton player in 1989.

The 92 points were No. 5 in a single season by a Tiger.

MacDonald is a true dual-threat on attack with 267 career points on 163 career goals and 109 career assists. MacDonald's 272 career points rank No. 3 all-time by a Princeton player. Her 109 helpers rank No. 2 all-time by a Princeton player and her 163 career goals are No. 6 by a Tiger. She is the only player in program history with 150+ goals and 100+ assists.

Against Towson on April 15, she tied the program record with 10 points (3g, 7a) and became the only player in program history with multiple 10+ point games. Her seven assists also tied the program single-game record.

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 had 208 career points. For the record, his most points in a game was nine.

COMING UP HUGHES
Senior goalkeeper Amelia Hughes has started every game but one in her collegiate career to date, playing 3,896 minutes. The 2024 and 2026 Ivy League Goalkeeper of the Year and two-time honorable mention media All-American, Hughes is a four-time All-Ivy selection.

She has registered 11+ saves in 37 of her 71 games and has 31 games with a save percentage of .500 or better. 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.

Last season, Hughes was No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 4 in the country in saves (180) while also ranking No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 14 in the country in save percentage (.481) and also sitting No. 2 in the Ivy League in saves-per-game (9.0).

Through 17 games this season, Hughes ranks No. 5 in the country in saves-per-game (10.6), No. 3 in saves (180) and No. 6 in save percentage (.508). She is No. 1 in the Ivy League in all three categories. She is No. 2 all-time in saves by a Princeton goalie with 689, trailing only Erin O'Neill '96 who had 731.

HELLO, MEG!
Meg Morrisroe's trip to Brown in 2024 was a revelation as the then-rookie broke through with a memorable performance. After tallying six goals over her first nine collegiate games, Morrisroe exploded for eight goals against the Bears -- tying the program record for goals in a game which had been achieved just twice previously and not since 1989. Her efforts earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors. Morrisroe's eight goals in a game were tied for the fourth most in a game by any player in the country and were the most by any first-year player in the country in 2024

Last year, she set career highs in goals (38), assists (4) and points (42).

Morrisroe has a team-high 49 goals this season, scoring on 49-of-94 shots. She is No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 38 in the country in goals-per-game (2.9).

THE SLOAN RANGER
Ella Sloan missed all of 2025 with injury, but has slid right into the lineup in 2026. Already she has 23 goals and 29 points in 17 games -- surpassing her six points (5g, 1a) in nine games as a freshman in 2024. After going without a point in Princeton's first two games, Sloan has 29 points (23g, 6a) over her last 15 including four-goal games at Harvard and Penn State. She has also stepped into a draw-taker role, winning41 on her own.

A FRESH "BATCH"
Maggie Bacigalupo, who goes by "Batch", has put together a breakout sophomore season to this point. After tallying one goal in eight games in 2025, she has 15 goals in 14 games in 2026 -- including a career-high four at Maryland.

NOT TOO SHABBY, ABBY!
Abigail Roberts moved to defense in 2024 and has been a constant in defensive and transition situations for the Tigers.

Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, she totalled 124 draw controls, 46 caused turnovers and 56 ground balls during a pair of second-team All-Ivy campaigns.

Her 177 career draw controls are No. 5 all-time in a career by a Tiger and her 78 in 2025 were No. 4 in a season by a Tiger.

If she gets loose in transition, Roberts can shoot with 7 career goals on 12 shots.

She was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on April 6 after a week where she had 10 GB, 6 CT, 6 CD including a 7 GB, 4 CT, 2 DC game against Cornell.

FAMILY TIES
There are plenty of family connections among the 2026 Tigers
Maggie Bacigalupo – Father, Scott, played lacrosse at Princeton and was a two-time NCAA champion (1992, 1994). He is the program's all-time leader in saves (732) and was 1994 National Player of the Year and a three-time National Goalkeeper of the Year.
Lane Calkins – Father, Ed, played lacrosse at Princeton and graduated in 1992 after playing on the '92 NCAA championship team.
Grace Farrell – Mother, Lauren, captained Princeton's 2002 NCAA championship team and was MVP of the NCAA Tournament while her father, Bob, played football at Princeton.
Kate Garlinghouse – Mother, Kristen, played four years of lacrosse and one season of field hockey at Princeton. She was a 1989 IWLCA and USWLA All-American; Older brother, Will, is a senior on the men's water polo team at Princeton and was part of four NCAA Tournament appearances during his career.
Jami MacDonald – Older brother, Mikey, played lacrosse at Princeton where he was 2015 Ivy League Player of the Year and a two-time All-American. He graduated in 2015 after tallying 208 career points before going on to play in the NLL.
Maddie Mitchell – Older cousin, Ellie, played women's basketball at Princeton and graduated in 2024 as the program's all-time leading rebounder (1,125) and three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year
Grace Mulham – Older sister, Kate, played lacrosse at Princeton and graduated in 2023 following a two-time Ivy championship career where she was named second-team All-Ivy twice.
Abigail Roberts – Older brother, Harry, is a senior on the men's soccer team at Princeton; Older brother, Jack, played soccer and golf at Princeton and graduated in 2022.
Molly Duggan (Assistant Coach) – Married to Chris Duggan, assistant coach of Princeton's women's soccer team.

LET'S COOK!
Jenn Cook is in her fourth season as head coach of the Tigers and 14th overall on staff at Princeton. In 10 full seasons of play, Cook has been part of seven Ivy League championships and nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Last year was her first time reaching the national tournament as head coach, and 2025 marked her first Ivy League championship as a head coach. 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, 2023 at Temple.

She now has 14 wins over ranked opponents in her career.

Cook is 44-25 overall in her career and 20-7 in Ivy League regular season games. Her NCAA Tournament record is 3-2.