US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Dec. 17. 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. 6 Princeton

2019 Record: 16-4 (6-1, Ivy League)
Coach: Chris Sailer (34th year)
Assistants: Jenn Cook, Kerrin Maurer

All-Time Record: 415-162
NCAA Appearances: 26
Final Fours: 11
Championships: 3

2020 Schedule

Save the Date
April 22

Princeton or Penn has won the Ivy League championship every year since 2001 except one, so when these two get together there’s usually a title on the line. Four of the last six Ivy League tournaments have ended with the two squaring off. Princeton holds a 27-22-3 series lead after winning the last five meetings.

Princeton Ramping Up Defensive Pressure

Princeton plans to lean on its experience as it brings a young team up to speed.

That means some early emphasis on defense, where the Tigers return more than anywhere else on the field. Princeton hopes it can use its experience to create more opportunities from its defense.

“It’s a very different team than last year,” coach Chris Sailer said. “We’re working on being able to pressure more defensively. That’s something we’ve been trying to get our kids comfortable with — extending out, pressuring harder on ball, being more opportunistic and looking more for blocks, tips and knockdowns.”

The Tigers had a top-25 defense a year ago but lost more than 50 percent of its scoring and the draw control lost everyone. Princeton is hoping that a defense with standout goalie Sam Fish and returning starters Marge Donovan, Mary Murphy and Olivia Pugh can play more aggressively.

“To some extent, it’s a mindset,” Sailer said. “We have some kids that tend to be a little more stay-at-home and other kids that are trying to take those risks. We’re just trying to get kids all over the field to get out of their comfort zone and to stretch a little more.”

Donovan, Murphy and Pugh combined to cause 57 turnovers. Princeton graduated players that accounted for another 80 caused turnovers, so turning up the intensity could help make up for those losses and keep pressure off Fish, who ranked sixth in the country in saves and 16th in save percentage.

Defensive success will be crucial during the development of the Princeton midfield that is dominated by sophomores and freshmen, and the emergence of the offense led by Tess D’Orsi and Kyla Sears, who between them had 175 points a year ago.

“We certainly have some top talent returning on the team,” Sailer said. “But we just can’t rely on a few kids to do everything all over the field.”

Projected Starters

A – Tess D’Orsi – Sr. – 64 G, 19 CT
A – Katie Reilly – Sr. – 2 G, 50.0 SOG%
A – Kyla Sears – Jr. – 95 P, 22 GB
A – Grace Tauckus – Fr. – 62 DC, 40 GB (high school)
M – Shannon Berry – So. – 4 A, 6 GB
M – Kari Buonanno – Fr. – 82 G, 43 A (high school)
M – Annie Cory – Sr. – 12 G, 13 GB (2018)
D – Marge Donovan – Jr. – 43 GB, 28 CT
D – Mary Murphy – Jr. – 22 GB, 17 CT
D – Olivia Pugh – Jr. – 18 GB, 12 CT
D – Maddie Staczek – Sr. – 3 GB, 3 CT
G – Sam Fish – Jr. – 48.2 SV%, 192 S

Tewaaraton Watch
Kyla Sears, A, Jr.

Sears turned up her playmaking last year and more than doubled her assists while still posting more than 50 goals for the second straight season. With two of Princeton’s top scorers graduated, Sears should showcase her talents and versatility even more this year.

X Factor
Lucie Gildehaus, M, So.

The fastest player on the Princeton team is set for a breakout year after playing in seven games as a freshman. She has a good stick and showcased this fall the speed that makes it tough to stop her on hard drives to cage.

National Rankings

232

With the graduation of its top four on the draw control, Princeton lost 85 percent of last year’s 271 draw controls. Marge Donovan, a defender, tops all returners in that category with 15. Lillian Stout, who was expected to take the draw this year, was lost for the year in the preseason.

Enemy Lines

“You have one of the premier coaches in the country. When you have that type of leadership and knowing who they’re returning, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. I think that’ll be a team that we’ll see great things out of.”

“Kyla Sears is one of the best attackers in the country. She has great game sense, and she’s a great competitor. She’s someone that gives every team problems.”

“I think they’re going to be very fast, very talented, detail organized and driven. They’re always well coached. They always rise to the occasion. They could easily be a final four team this year.”