US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 2. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February. 

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No. 9 Princeton

2018 Record: 13-6 (6-1 Ivy)
Coach: Chris Sailer (33rd)

All-Time Record: 399-158
NCAA Appearances: 25
Final Fours: 11
Championships: 3

Whether it was due to injuries, lack of practice time or their youthfulness, Princeton didn’t look like a Top 10 team in the fall.

The talent of the Tigers returners has them picked high, and they are motivated to work during the offseason to show those expectations are deserved.

“Our kids really stay hungry during this time,” coach Chris Sailer said. “The fall was great for that. If there was any sense from them that they could be complacent and be good, they really had their eyes opened and it was a great thing. There’s a renewed sense of intensity and hunger which is really good and will propel us forward.”

The Tigers have most of their key parts back from a team that won the Ivy League, put a scare in Maryland in a one-goal loss, and reached the NCAA tournament second round.

Princeton’s offense returns its top-scoring trio of Kyla Sears, Tess D’Orsi and Elizabeth George. The defense that featured last year’s freshman quartet of Marge Donovan, Mary Murphy, Olivia Pugh and goalie Sam Fish, will only get better.

“We will be balanced at both ends,” Sailer said. “When we get to the point where we’re playing our best, I think we’ll be able to put the ball in the net and make it tough for other teams. I don’t think there will be one side more dominant than the other. I think we’ll have pretty good balance.”

Princeton never was able to really see in the fall how good it could be. Their fastest player, defender Noni Anderson, was injured all fall, as was Murphy. D’Orsi missed a month and Kathryn Hallett was out a couple of weeks to sideline their most experienced midfielders. Even Sears played while nicked up.

“We had some good kids coming back and some strong kids coming in so as the injured kids recover, there will be some interesting battles for positions,” Sailer said. “As coaches, we’ll have to figure out formations and who works best together.  The fact that we will have more depth defensively than we’ve had in some time will be a really positive thing.”

Princeton is looking forward to putting it all together during the spring to see how far it can go.

“It’s a driven team and we’re working hard,” Sailer said. “I think we’ll be ready when it’s time to put on the uniform in February.”

The Case For Princeton

Princeton was a dangerous team last year and it didn’t lose much from its lineup. The offense has a plethora of weapons and can score multiple ways and the defense is going to be deeper and more accustomed to anything thrown at it. The Tigers have speed all over the field.

Princeton came on strong down the stretch last year after a slow start. That start could be attributed to freshmen finding their way, and the Tigers will again have a freshman class contributing a lot. With so much back, Princeton should start faster and finish even better.

The Case Against Princeton

Princeton has some important veterans, but it is relying on a lot of young players in key spots at both ends of the field and most notably in the midfield. They need to replace Colby Chanenchuk’s feeding. Princeton only has two midfielders back that saw significant field time. That youth showed in inpatient possessions in the fall.

“We need a lot better discipline and decision-making on the field and better execution,” Sailer said. “We caused a lot of our own problems this fall just with our inability to control the ball at times and some poor decision making and forced fast offenses.”

Path to the Playoffs

The Ivy League is growing tougher and Penn and Dartmouth are hurdles to a sixth straight conference crown. Dartmouth beat them early last year before Princeton hit its stride, and this year they’ll square off Apr. 6 in Hanover. Princeton also has to go on the road to Penn on Apr. 17, and those games will likely determine who hosts this year’s Ivy tournament.

Princeton will be tested out of conference, and there are ample opportunities to impress and grow. Their non-conference schedule includes Maryland, Stony Brook, Florida, Virginia, Penn State, and Loyola.

Players To Watch

Kyla Sears, A, So.​
64 G, .557 SH%

Sears was even better than advertised in her first season with Princeton and Ivy records for goals and points. Her aggression led to a record 20 free position goals. Sears has worked at being a more complete player which should make her even tougher to stop.

Elizabeth George, M, Sr.​
49 Pts, 57 DC

Last year’s Ivy tournament MVP has improved every season and is poised for a big senior campaign. George gives Princeton a reliable second weapon on attack, and last year recorded a team record 11 draws in a game. She could play a bigger role on draw controls this year.

Sam Fish, G, So.
​142 S, .495 SV%

Fish wasn’t the starter at the beginning of last year, but she took over early and was named second-team All-Ivy. She dazzled in the fall and might be the team’s most improved player. She’s quicker and more comfortable in her second year, and gives Princeton confidence in net.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense

⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐⭐

38

Percent of draws lost with the graduation of Ellie McNulty and Camille Sullivan. The draw is the biggest stat in which graduation losses could affect the Tigers. But sophomore Marge Donovan and senior Elizabeth George are back after ranking first and second on the team in draw controls last year.

5-Year Trend
Save Percentage

Coach Confidential
Chris Sailer

It’s going to come down to how much we improve as individuals and how our skill sets develop over the next three or four months and also how we develop on the field. It’s different each year, and the chemistry can be different each year even if you don’t lose a lot of people.

Enemy Lines

"They don’t graduate many kids. They are the forerunners right now because their offense was pretty gelled last year and they don’t really have a lot of change. Their defense was pretty young and did well. They’re the ones to compete with. They’re the most experienced team coming back. Their strong players were young. They lost a couple kids to graduation but it’s not like the year before when they lost Hompe’s senior class. A lot of kids got a lot of playing time that were young so they’re going to be a lot more veteran on the field."

"I always say Princeton is the sneak attack team. They’re extremely well coached and go into games extremely prepared. They have the fastest, most athletic unit – they’re tiny but they’re feisty – and they’re the type of team that plays their hearts out and puts everything out on the field. They’re a team you can never sleep on because they’re always going to show up. They’re always consistent and show up."