LYNCH-PIN: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Maddy Lynch holds the fort in a game this season. Last Friday, senior defender Lynch and the Tigers fought valiantly in falling 10-9 to Cornell in overtime in the Ivy League semifinals. That loss didn’t end the Tigers’ season as they learned on Sunday that they had earned an at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA tournament. Princeton, now 11-5, will face Massachusetts (18-1) in a first round game on May 13 in Ithaca, N.Y. The winner of that game will advance to the second round on Sunday against the winner of the first round clash between host Cornell and Canisius. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Reflecting the increased parity nationwide, Ivy League women’s lacrosse has featured one dogfight after another this spring.

The matchup between second-seeded Princeton and third-seeded Cornell in the semifinals of the Ivy tournament last Friday in Philadelphia proved to be no exception.

The clash turned into a topsy-turvy battle as 16th-ranked Cornell jumped out to a 3-0 lead but No. 12 Princeton rallied to take a 4-3 lead at halftime. The Tigers extended that lead to 7-4 but the Big Red produced a late 5-2 run to knot the game at 9-9 and force overtime. Cornell prevailed in the extra session, tallying with 1:32 left in overtime.

In reflecting on the thrilling contest, Princeton head coach Chris Sailer tipped her hat to both squads.

“It was two great teams really going at it; each team had momentum at times,” said Sailer, who got four goals from junior star Olivia Hompe in the loss to the Big Red with sophomore Camille Sullivan chipping in a goal and an assist and sophomore Colby Chanenchuk picking up three assists.

“I was really proud of our kids with the way they battled back. It was a shame that anyone had to lose that game. Our kids competed hard all over the field.”

While the Tigers showed plenty of grit, Sailer acknowledged that they needed to be sharper with the ball.

“We had too many unforced errors; it is our achilles heel and it has plagued us throughout the season,” said Sailer.

“Although we did a lot of great things, we gave the ball up 17 times and that is a lot of extra possessions. I think one of the things that we did best is our ride. We forced a lot of turnovers. We gave them a lot to contend with on their clears and that created some fast breaks for us.”

Having been ranked in the Top 20 nationally most of the season, Princeton will get to continue its ride in the NCAA tourney as it earned an at-large bid to the  competition. The Tigers, now 11-5 and ranked 14th, will face No. 12 Massachusetts (18-1) in a first round game on May 13 in Ithaca, N.Y. The winner of that game will advance to the second round on Sunday against the winner of the first round clash between host Cornell and Canisius.

“I think we were happy with the bracket that we are in,” said Sailer. “I am just watching film of UMass now, they have had a big year. They are big, they are fast, they go hard to goal, they play great defense. They really push the break and attack right away. I think we are going to have our hands full. They have a lot of goals, they have routinely scored 15, 16 goals a game. It is not an easy first round opponent by any stretch. It is exciting to play a team we haven’t played before.”

With the Tigers having advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last year, Sailer believes that experience will help this weekend.

“When you have been there before, you know what it takes and what is expected,” said Sailer, who has guided Princeton to three national titles (1994, 2002, 2003) and 24 trips to the NCAAs.

“Having played in that environment before is always good for kids who are coming back. But we have a lot of young kids in our lineup, a lot of kids who were not on the field last year, whether they are freshmen or sophomores. It is an NCAA tournament game but you have to go out there and compete like any other game.”

Playing in an Ivy League environment to which it is accustomed is another plus for Princeton.

“We feel comfortable being at Cornell,” added Sailer. “We know the field. We know the place, we know the facilities. I think in that sense it is nice to have that familiarity.”

If things go well on Friday, the Tigers could be facing a familiar and formidable foe on Sunday with a trip to the NCAA quarters on the line.

“Cornell is playing really well right now, it was a great game for both teams against us and then the Penn game (an 11-10 win in the Ivy title game on May 8) was an instant classic for them too,” said Sailer.

“I think they are going to be tough. I also think they have a really tough first round opponent so any of the four teams could advance to the second round. We are all focused on UMass right now. We are not taking anything for granted but we would have been playing them three times in four weeks. It is crazy.”