US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 8. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com throughout January and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition that mails to US Lacrosse members Feb. 1 — opening day of the 2018 college lacrosse season.

No. 7 Princeton

2017 Record: 15-4 (6-1 Ivy League)
Coach: Chris Sailer (32nd year)

All-Time Record: 386-152
NCAA Appearances: 24
Final Fours: 11
Championships: 3

Princeton has to replace two of the best players in program history, Olivia Hompe, who set a school scoring record, and Ellie DeGarmo, who led the nation in save percentage in each of the past two years.

A deep and athletic midfield unit should help.

Coach Chris Sailer wasn’t sure the Tigers’ career scoring record would ever fall before Hompe came along. She had more than twice as many points as any other Princeton player last year.

“We’re going to need a little more contributions from everybody at the attack end,” Sailer said. “Whether that’s in assisting or dodging or handling the feeds inside, the whole group has to up their game a little bit. When you take out one player who’s had so much focus on her, then everybody starts to feel more of that responsibility. We’ve seen kids already stepping up more and taking charge more.”

Princeton will turn loose its midfield — led by Ellie McNulty, Elizabeth George and Camille Sullivan — and a highly touted freshman class that includes four defenders to help make up for those losses. The midfield shapes a new approach and highlights new strengths. The draw will be better, and how Princeton attacks may look different with more reliance on its midfield.

“It’s not that we won’t share the ball and pass the ball, but we do have some really talented dodgers,” Sailer said. “We’re pretty athletic all over the field.”

As tough as it is to replace Hompe, it may be tougher for the Tigers to replace DeGarmo.

“That’s still a work in progress,” Sailer said. “The good news is we have three good goalies. The tough part is going to be figuring out which of them is most ready to get the nod right away.”

The Case For Princeton

The fall was critical for Princeton to look at life without two All-Americans, and the Tigers came away feeling good about their potential. They are young overall, highlighted by Inside Lacrosse’s top-ranked freshman class. They also have a more dynamic midfield that will shore up both ends.

Sailer has been at this a while, and you don’t get to the Hall of Fame without understanding what it takes to reload. She will have the Tigers on a steady climb as they gain experience, find their roles and again contend for the Ivy League championship and a sixth straight NCAA berth.

The Case Against Princeton

Replacing two of the most dominant players in program history could prove to be too much. DeGarmo leaves a huge hole in goal. She saved a higher percentage of shots than anyone in the country the last two years. And the Tigers have to retool their defense after losing two other All-Region starters in Madeline Rodriguez and Amanda Leavell.

At the other end, Hompe’s graduation may be too much to overcome. It’s not just losing the leading goal scorer in the nation, but her competitiveness can’t be matched. When Princeton needed a goal, it relied on her.

Path to the Playoffs

Princeton has won at least a share of the last four Ivy League regular-season titles and two of the last three Ivy League tournament championships. The Ivy League has gotten tougher with Penn an annual contender, Cornell much improved recently, Harvard coming on and Dartmouth now developing under its second-year head coach Danielle Spencer and Yale getting more competitive again under Erica LaGrow.

Winning the Ivy tournament is still the only guarantee into the NCAA tournament, though Princeton’s strength of schedule should help if it needs an at-large bid. The Tigers’ SOS was No. 6 last year and another tough schedule will help them prepare for the postseason.

Players To Watch

Tess D’Orsi, A, So.
38 G, 13 A

D’Orsi blossomed over her first year, and bigger things are expected in an encore to scoring the second-most goals ever by a Princeton freshman. The Tigers will need more scoring and she is their highest returning goal scorer and has the confidence to be more aggressive.

Elizabeth George, M, Jr.
27 G, 36 DC

George epitomizes the broad talents Princeton has in its midfield. She returns as the second leading goal scorer and tops on the draw control, had three game-winning goals a year ago and caused 15 turnovers. Matching those numbers should be enough in a deep fleet of midfielders.

Kyla Sears, A., Fr.
65 G, 37 A (HS)

The Epoch/US Lacrosse National Player of the Year, Sears will step into a starting role and fill the huge shoes of Hompe. The Tigers need her to stay healthy. Sears lost her junior year to a knee injury, and another knee injury forced her to miss six games last year before returning to post 102 points in 16 games.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐⭐

15-0

The Tigers were unbeaten in the 15 games they led at halftime last year, and 0-4 when they trailed.  Fast starts have made all the difference in recent years. Princeton was 10-2 when leading at halftime and 1-4 when trailing in 2016. It was 14-2 when leading or tied at the half in 2015.

5-Year Trend
Save Percentage

Coach Confidential
Chris Sailer

“We’re going to have to have balanced scoring. That’s going to be huge. And defensively, solidifying that unit both in terms of with our goalkeepers and our new defensive core will be important. We talk about the middies on the offensive end, but they have to help anchor both ends.”

Enemy Lines
Rival Coaches

“Lost two Tewaaraton-caliber players to graduation, but they have a lot of talented and confident players returning, especially in the midfield and attack, as well as one of the top incoming attackers. The big question: Who is their GK? ... Losing two of the best players in program history is DeGarmo and Hompe will be tough. But some great recruits the last couple years should help them fill those shoes. ... The offense will reshape around Colby Chanenchuk and Tess D’Orsi returning. ... They have the most experience in the midfield of anyone in the league. It’ll be interesting without Olivia. Sometimes you lose a kid like that that you rely on a lot, but other kids step up in that position. They have a lot of experience back in the midfield and some kids on attack that were just overshadowed by her. I think they’re going to be very strong. Their defense will be a little different, but they have that strength at the midfield.”