GOAL-ORIENTED: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Olivia Hompe heads to goal in a game last season. Senior star attacker and tri-captain Hompe figures to be Princeton’s top offensive threat again this season after scoring 59 points on 47 goals and 12 assists as a junior. The Tigers open their 2017 campaign by hosting Temple on February 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

The six seniors on the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team have already accomplished a lot in their careers.

The squad’s Class of 2017 has won or shared the last three Ivy League regular season championships, has won the the Ivy tournament, and has advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.

As the Tigers open the regular season by hosting Temple on February 18, Princeton head coach Chris Sailer believes that her senior contingent of Olivia Hompe, Ellie DeGarmo, Anna Doherty, Madeline Rodriguez, Amanda Leavell, and Jeanie Dwinell will be setting the tone.

“We have an experienced, very talented, and hungry senior class and they have created an incredible culture on the team, a wonderful environment for all 28 kids on the team,” said Sailer, who guided the Tigers to an 11-6 record last spring, a share of the Ivy regular season title, and the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“I really credit them with where we are right now. Winning that Ivy League regular season title and championship, those are clear goals for our team. Beyond that, our team is not afraid to say that they want to make noise on the national level and carry the postseason as far as we can.”

Senior attacker Olivia Hompe has made a lot of noise for the Tigers, piling up 123 goals and 52 assists in the first three years of her career.

“Olivia is such a great competitor, she is the kind of kid that wants the ball and wants to make the play and is capable of making the play,” said Sailer of Hompe, who tallied 47 goals and 12 assists in 2016.

“She raises the level of everyone else around her on the field. She sees so much, she finishes well and she is such a tough competitor. She is fun to watch play and we are really glad that she is on our team because she is such a great all around player. She is just such a determined young woman.”

Princeton boasts a number of other performers who can make plays up front.

“On attack for us is junior Colby Chanenchuk (7 goals and 22 assists in 2016), who is one of our biggest distributors and works behind the cage with Liv,” said Sailer, noting that junior
Haley Giraldi, junior Kennedy Krauss, and freshman Laura Pansini are also in the mix.

“We have a trio of sophomores who are next in line at this point who will likely fill the other two spots in the attack unit. Julia Haney was out last year with an injury and this year she is playing incredibly strong. She is a dynamic, very smart player and is fitting in really well with the offensive unit. We have Izzy Mangan who missed all of last year with an injury; she is back and hasn’t lost a step. She is so quick and dynamic and an incredible hustler. We have Allie Rogers (3 goals in 2016), who saw a lot of time in the second half of the season; that kid is an ankle breaker.”

In the midfield, the Tigers will be bolstered by the return of senior star Anna Doherty from injury.

“Doherty is in our midfield and she is just amazing,” said Sailer of Doherty, who tallied 23 goals and three assists as a sophomore in 2015.

“She missed all last year. She is better than ever. That kid is fast, dynamic, competitive, accurate. She is no question going to make us better and is going to be a huge leader for us on the field.”

Playing along with Doherty in the midfield will be sophomore Elizabeth George (10 goals, 1 assist), sophomore Kathryn Hallett (10 goals, 6 assists), freshman Tess D’Orsi, junior Camille Sullivan, (11 goals, 6 assists), junior Ellie McNulty (19 goals, 7 assists), and freshman Annie Cory.

“Elizabeth George decided to just play lacrosse after also playing field hockey as a freshman and it has made a huge difference for her individually and for our team,” said Sailer.

“She is a strong dodger and cutter and is great on the draw control. Kathryn is dynamic, she’s gotten better in terms of her poise and finishing ability. Tess D’Orsi is a freshman who was on the U.S. U-19 team and is one of the quickest kids we have on the team. Her hands are exceptional; she is going to have a great year. Cammie Sullivan has been playing for us for three years now and is getting better and better. Ellie is more quiet but deadly; that kid can be a force in her own right. She finds the cage and is a finisher. Annie Cory is a good two-way player.”

On defense, seniors Rodriguez and Leavell along with sophomores Alex Argo and Nonie Anderson will lead the way.

“We have Madeline Rodriguez, who is really the anchor of that unit, she is a four-year starter along with Amanda,” said Sailer, noting that senior Dwinell and junior Annie Ewald are also in the mix.

“She is our leader of the defense, just so solid and smart. Amanda is so athletic off of ground balls, on interceptions, in transition, and going to goal. She can be a huge scoring threat, having that out of the back is just so awesome. Alex Argo is similar to Rodriguez, she is a tough kid, tough player, very intelligent and reads the game well. Nonie Anderson is the fastest kid on the team; she plays a big role for us with her ability to take the ball down the field and get ground balls.”

Senior All-American goalie DeGarmo figures to play a huge role again for the Tigers after a stellar 2016 campaign that saw her post a goals against average of 8.95 and a save percentage of .536 on the way to being named the Division I Goalie of the Year.

“Ellie had a phenomenal year last year, no question, she was just pulling saves out of everywhere,” said Sailer, whose backup goalies are junior Mary Kate McDonough and freshman Winnie Brandfield-Harvey.

“The thing about Ellie is that she is so unflappable. She is so humble about it all. She is coming in and she has done a great job so far this year. Having her in the cage is such an advantage for us, having someone with that kind of experience who can make those kind of saves. It is very comforting when your last line of defense is Ellie DeGarmo.”

Sailer is comforted by the work ethic her players have been showing since arriving at campus last fall.

“This team has done a phenomenal job, our captains (Hompe, Doherty, and Rodriguez) have been great,” said Sailer.

“We really put in the work in the offseason. They came back to school in the fall in really great shape. They were playing a lot together on their own and continuing that throughout the season.”

As the Tigers host Temple (0-1) this Saturday, Sailer is looking for Princeton to keep up the good work.

“I think the challenge with Temple is that we haven’t played them in a while and they are coming off a great year last year,” said Sailer.

“They probably had their best year in recent memory but they did graduate a lot of seniors. We have to focus on us and be ready for whatever they may throw at us.”

With a challenging non-conference slate that includes such national powers as Virginia, Loyola, Notre Dame, Penn State, Syracuse, and Maryland; Princeton will be facing a lot of challenges this spring.

“We have a very difficult schedule; we know we are a very competitive team and we are excited for the schedule,” said Sailer.

“We are excited to play these top teams and we certainly anticipate that we are going to win our share of games. At the same time we can’t get too down if we have some setbacks along the way. We have to keep believing in ourselves and continuing to get better. That is what it takes so we are really excited.”