Princeton women’s lacrosse is back after nearly two years. And for the first time in over 700 days, the Tigers are in the win column.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and we really wanted to make it worth the wait and just play confidently and fearlessly,” said head coach Chris Sailer, who announced that she will retire at the end of this season. “We did that. It was a great win for the entire team.”

The Tigers returned with a statement win, beating then-No. 10 Virginia 17-11 in Charlottesville. Princeton’s last matchup prior to Sunday was on March 8, 2020 — a lopsided loss to Stony Brook. Princeton kicked off 2022 on a better note, cruising to a smooth victory over a quality Virginia team.

Princeton had not beaten Virginia since 2017. The teams last met in 2020, which was a close two-goal loss for the Tigers.

“We wanted this so bad,” sophomore midfielder Kari Buonanno said. “Princeton and Virginia have a really historic rivalry, so to come out the way that we did and to be so strong, it was so fun. I had a blast out there.”

Princeton never trailed throughout the matchup, powering through a back-and-forth first quarter to take control. By halftime, the Tigers led 9-5, fueled by a hat trick from Buonanno and senior goalkeeper Sam Fish’s lights-out play. She made eight first-half saves and 15 overall.

But Princeton spent most of the second half without senior attacker Kyla Sears, who was removed from the game after two yellow cards, and senior defender Marge Donovan, who was experiencing cramps. This left the Tigers, a team composed primarily of underclassmen with little college playing experience, without two of its senior captains.

Princeton continued to dominate on both the offensive and defensive ends. Freshman midfielder McKenzie Blake notched a hat trick during the second half, and sophomore attacker Grace Tauckus added two goals of her own. Fish provided the stability on defense. Sailer said she was proud of how the Tigers “kept things together” without Donovan and Sears and extended their lead in the process.

Not even a long layoff could bring about gameday jitters. Buonanno, who took a gap year during the 2020-21 school year like 18 of her teammates, said she was initially worried because of her limited college playing experience and overall youth on the team. But she shook those thoughts off pretty quickly.

“As soon as we stepped on the field, the nerves went away,” Buonanno said. “I was like, ‘This is so fun. This is what we’ve been waiting 715 days for.’”

Beyond the score, Princeton players also basked in the little things, like simply playing in a game again. Buonanno missed post-goal celebrations. She enjoyed being able to celebrate with teammates again and “feel the rush of it all” after so long without it.

Sailer was honored during her last season opener. Players were encouraged to “win it for her and start the season strong in her last year,” Buonanno said.

“All of these games take on a special meaning when you think about this being your last year,” Sailer said. “I’m sure it feels the same way for the seniors. We’re all seniors together. [I] just want to relish every moment and stay in the moment and enjoy the opportunity to compete and play hard each and every game.”