BY GEORGE: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Elizabeth George sprints upfield last Sunday as Princeton hosted Cornell in an NCAA second round contest. Sophomore George scored four goals, including the final two tallies of the contest, as fifth-seeded Princeton prevailed 11-9 over the Big Red. The Tigers, now 15-3, play at fourth-seeded Penn State (16-3) in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Storm clouds were gathering in the sky and on the field for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team as it hosted Cornell in an NCAA second round contest last Sunday afternoon.

After building a 9-6 lead midway through the second half, Princeton found itself knotted in a 9-9 tie with the Big Red as the skies darkened and rain started to fall.

Princeton sophomore midfielder Elizabeth George acknowledged that the Tigers were uneasy about the impending downpour and the Cornell rally. “It was a tie game, it couldn’t be more tense,” said George.

George proceeded to break the tie, racing up the field and converting a feed from Olivia Hompe to put the Tigers up 10-9 with 4:04 remaining in regulation.

“That was on Hompe’s pass, it was a good set up off the whistle,” said George, a 5’9 native of Lutherville, Md. recalling the goal.

“Hompe decided to go for it and throw the pass and just got it to goal.”

With a deluge hitting Class of 1952 Stadium, George struck again two minutes later, sliding the ball past the Cornell goalie as Princeton went up 11-9.

“That was in the pouring rain, they were pressing out, they wanted the ball back obviously and Kathryn [Hallett] comes around and sees me on the crease and luckily the shot rolled by the pipe,” said George.

A half hour thunder and lightning delay was called at that point, potentially stalling Princeton’s momentum.

“That was tough because we were all so excited and eager to get the job done so it was tough to come out after that,” said George.

The Tigers, though, came out and got the job done, holding off the Big Red, as senior goalie Ellie DeGarmo made some big saves, to prevail 11-9. The fifth-seeded Tigers, now 15-3, play at fourth-seeded Penn State (16-3) in the NCAA quarterfinals on May 21.

For George, earning the spot in the quarterfinals was something the Tigers have had their eye on for a while.

“I think we are just so excited,” said George. “We know we have an incredibly talented team this year and really strong seniors and plans to go really far. We are just taking momentum forward.”

Having played on both the Princeton field hockey and lacrosse teams as a freshman, George decided to focus on the latter as a sophomore and it has paid off as she has emerged as one of the top scorers for the Tigers this spring. She now has 25 goals and nine assists this season after tallying 10 goals and an assist as a freshman.

“Not playing field hockey definitely helped me focus on different skills in the fall,” said George, who tallied a team-high four goals in the win over Cornell and now has 10 goals in her last three games. “I stayed focused through the spring. I am working on my shooting a lot.”

Princeton head coach Chris Sailer liked the focus her team displayed as it beat Cornell for the third time in four weeks, having topped the Big Red 12-11 in double overtime on April 22 in a regular season contest and then prevailing 12-9 in the Ivy Tournament final on May 7.

“People say it is hard to beat a team three times,” said Sailer. “We have a great team, we love our players and our systems. I feel like if we play our game, we can beat anyone no matter how many times we play them.”

That said, Sailer knew that the Tigers were in for a tough battle with the Big Red.

“Cornell comes back, they are fighters,” said Sailer. “They never go away and they have very talented players and good schemes too, but our kids weren’t going to be denied.”

With George displaying her talent down the stretch, the Tigers were able to come way with the win.

“Elizabeth made some huge plays,” said Sailer, who got two goals and two assists from Hompe with senior Anna Doherty chipping in two goals, and freshman Tess D’Orsi contributing a goal and an assist. “Our kids just play with a lot of fire and a lot of fight.”

As Princeton makes its second appearance in the NCAA quarters in the last three years, Sailer is expecting her players to fight to the end.

“It is so exciting to be one step away from the Final Four with a team that has worked so hard all year and has been so determined in what they wanted and their approach,” said Sailer.

The Tigers are eager for the rematch with Penn State, who defeated Princeton 13-8 on March 21.

“It is great to get a chance to play Penn State, a team that we didn’t play very well against the first time,” said Sailer.

“I think we are excited to play better against them this time around. They are a handful, they have strong powerful dodgers and they go really hard. We will be better prepared for it this time around.”

George, for her part, is confident that the Tigers will make the most of their second chance against the Nittany Lions.

“They are the team that beat us on our home field this season and we have some payback to give them,” said George.

“I think draw controls will be huge in this game; we are going to need possession of the ball. We know they are strong dodgers so we will have to play shutdown defense. Luckily we have Ellie backing us up. We are getting better and better every game. We want to take it to the Final Four.”