MAKING STRIDES: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Charlotte Davis heads to goal in recent action. Senior midfielder Davis came up big as Princeton topped Columbia 18-7 last Wednesday and then topped No. 12 Cornell 12-10 on Saturday. Davis scored two goals in each game as Princeton extended its winning streak to three and improved to 6-3 overall and 3-0 Ivy League. The Tigers, now ranked 14th nationally, play at Yale (6-4 overall, 0-3 Ivy) on April 6.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Charlotte Davis is focused on making her senior season with the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team something special.

“I think it has been since 2004 when we won the Ivy regular season title,” said senior midfielder Davis.

“We are really looking forward to doing that this year. As a senior, I am determined to go out with a bang.”

The Tigers have brought some extra determination into this spring after going 8-7 last year and failing to finish in the top four in the Ivy League and qualify for the league tournament.

“We are looking to make a huge change from last year,” said the 5’9 Davis, a native of Alexandria, Va. “We have the talent. We are just looking to really expand on that talent and grow everyday so we can win this league.”

Last Wednesday against visiting Columbia, Davis made a huge play after the Lions scored the first two goals of the second half and cut Princeton’s lead to 9-5. Getting the draw, Davis bulled her way through the crease and fired the ball into the goal to help the Tigers regain the momentum as Princeton pulled away to an 18-7 triumph.

“We have been really working hard on being threatening on attack,” said Davis, reflecting on her tally.

“I think we had just come for a timeout and our coach had said something. We came off of that timeout really strong and I think the flow started going better after that.”

Coming off an impressive 10-7 win over nationally ranked Johns Hopkins on March 23, the Tigers were looking to keep things flowing in the right direction against Columbia.

“That was one of the first games where our defense and offense played really well together all across the field,” said Davis, referring to the win over Hopkins.

“We have to continue to build on that and I think that is what we accomplished tonight.”

As a midfielder, Davis is looking to make an impact all over the field. “It is a definitely two-way role; I have to be on both ends of the field,” said Davis, who ended up with two goals and a ground ball in the win over Columbia. “It has been a great year; I am really enjoying playing midfield.”

Princeton head coach Chris Sailer enjoyed seeing her team’s sharp play in the Columbia game.

“I think this was the first game where we shot better than 50 percent,” said Sailer.

“We want to be shooting 50 percent (18-of-35); we were 3-for-3 on our eight meters which was huge; we have been having some issues on our 8 meters lately. I think this is the fewest turnovers we have ever had; only six turnovers in a lax game is really pretty good.”

The Tigers looked very good over the latter stages of the first half when they reeled off a six unanswered goals run to build a 9-3 halftime lead.

“We did have a good run at the end of that first half,” said Sailer, whose team kept up its good run of play as it topped No. 12 Cornell 12-10 last Saturday to win its third straight game and improve to 6-3 overall and 3-0 Ivy.

“I think we started winning more draws and we started shooting better. We are still trying to work on getting off to better starts, getting better possessions, better looks initially. So far we have been a team that has to get into the flow and figure out the keeper. Luckily we did that at the end of the first half.”

Freshman Alexandra Bruno got into the flow in the Columbia game as she tallied a career-high six goals.

“Bruno is a finisher; I think she hit a few posts early but when you get her the ball in front of the cage and when she can take her dodge and go, she is a deadly kid,” said Sailer, who got nine points on six goals and three assists from sophomore star Erin McMunn, who was later named the Ivy Offensive Player of the Week.

“She has a really good release and is able to find  the net. It was a good night for her. Hopefully this will give her some good confidence as she heads into the next game.”

Having senior star Davis patrolling the midfield gives Princeton a lot of confidence.

“Charlotte made a really nice dodge and a great shot and it was off to the races from there,” said Sailer, referring to Davis’ second half goal.

“She has been solid; she has been a key player since she came to Princeton.  She is always good for a few goals and she is going to fight in the midfield. We need to rely on her more this year; she has had some good experience and her goals are really important to us. Losing Cassie Pyle from last year and all her firepower on the midfield and Jaci Gassaway not being in a normal position, a kid like Charlotte becomes even more critical for you. She has to put in a few each game.”

The Tiger defense also played a critical role in the win. “I thought the defense did a really good job, especially when we started double-teaming behind on No. 23 [Kacie Johnson],” said Sailer, whose junior goalie Caroline Franke earned Ivy Defensive Player of the Week honors after making eight saves against Columbia and then posting nine in the win over Cornell.

“In the second half, we forced them into a few turnovers. I thought Liz Bannantine once again was phenomenal. We had a freshman on their senior, one of the top players in the league, and I thought she did a really great job on her.”

It was important for Princeton to follow up the Columbia game with a great win against Cornell.

“Obviously, this is a big, big game for us,” said Sailer, whose team has climbed to No. 14 in the Inside Lacrosse national poll and plays at Yale (6-4 overall, 0-3 Ivy) on April 6.

“They are going to be one of the top teams in the league. It is going to be a big challenge for us and a great test for us to really see how we stack up right now against one of the league’s top teams.”

Davis, for her part, looked forward to the Cornell game as a way for the Tigers to show that they are one of the top teams in the league.

“Ivy League games are huge for us; it is going to get more and more challenging,” said Davis, who now has 16 points this season on 12 goals and four assists.

“We are looking forward to expanding on our game. Cornell is going to be a huge challenge and a huge step for us.”