Blake Takes Over, Princeton Rallies to Defeat Drexel in NCAA Tournament

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Less than seven minutes into Friday afternoon’s NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament first-round game at Boston College, Drexel led Princeton 4-0 and appeared to be in total control of the game.

But at the start of the fourth quarter, the scoreboard told a much different story.

The Tigers rattled off seven straight goals between the waning moments of the second quarter and the entirety of the third to take a 12-6 lead.

“In that third quarter, there was a lot of energy to play for Sam DeVito, a senior for us who unfortunately had a red card in the last game,” Princeton coach Jenn Cook said. “Everybody collectively did not want to allow that to be her last game.”

Behind its offensive dominance, Princeton (11-6, 6-1 Ivy League) defeated the Dragons (13-6, 7-1 CAA) by a final score of 14-9 and advanced to play second-seeded BC in a second-round game Sunday.

“What's so special about this group is that they just really, really love each other and they want more and more opportunities to play together,” Cook said.

Friday’s game featured two elite goaltenders.

Drexel’s defense has been anchored by Jenika Cuocco, the CAA Goalie of the Year who entered leading the nation in saves per game (11.94) and held the second-best save percentage (58 percent).

“She's a fantastic goalie,” Cook said. “She's probably the best goalie we faced all year. When you're shooting against her, you really got to shoot to finish. We did a ton of shooting work —  purposeful shooting work — and it paid off.”

On the other side of the field stood Amelia Hughes, the Ivy League Goalie of the Year. Hughes made eight saves on 17 shots on goal in the Tigers’ win.

Cuocco made her presence between the posts known early, blocking the Tigers’ first shot of the game with her foot to keep the game scoreless.

After the save, it did not take long for Drexel to light up the scoreboard, establishing a four-goal lead by the 8:08 mark.

“We were excited to get out there and play,” Drexel coach Katie O’Donnell said. “We felt as though we deserved to be here, but we had to earn the win. We were fired up coming out for the first quarter. Had a lot of momentum. Princeton made some really great adjustments.”

Princeton ended the run when Maggie Molnar took advantage of a man-up opportunity and found the back of the net to make it 4-1 with 3:37 remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers cut their deficit to two goals less than two minutes later when Jamie MacDonald scored, and McKenzie Blake made it a one-goal game with just 24 seconds left in the first frame.

The Tigers carried that momentum into the second quarter and completed the comeback when Cari Buonanno bounced a shot through the legs of Cuocco to make it 4-4 less than four minutes into the second quarter. It was tied at 6 at halftime.

Princeton finally established its first lead of the game after Haven Dora ditched her defender and unleashed a shot that sailed into the net to make it 7-6 with 8:40 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers never looked back. By the end of the third quarter Princeton had extended its lead to six, a run that saw Blake pot her second, third and fourth goals of the game. She finished with five.

“McKenzie Blake is a gamer,” Cook said. “In big moments, she shines. She wants the ball and she's just an amazing finisher and leader for us.”

The Tigers added two more goals in the fourth quarter to end Drexel’s season with a 14-9 victory.

The Dragons, who have made the NCAA tournament four consecutive seasons, are looking to build on their newfound success. They were an at-large selection out of the Coastal Athletic Association.

“We're past the point of believing that we can only go to NCAA if we win our conference tournament,” O’Donnell said. “Today didn't go our way, but [it was] a phenomenal season.”

Princeton now looks toward Sunday.

“BC has a ton of offensive threats and are incredibly well coached and talented in every way,” Cook said. “But for us, it really is about starting fast, starting hard.”