| NEWS |
  
|
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
|
Despite a Career-High 6 Goals From Pillion, Princeton Women's Lax Falls to Penn State
By Bill Alden
Elizabeth Pillion has never produced a performance for the Princeton University women's lacrosse team like the one she came up with last Saturday.
Showing the competitive fire that has made her an All-American midfielder, the speedy senior raced through and around visiting Penn State to fire in a career-high six goals.
Pillion's outburst, though, was not enough as the top-ranked Tigers dropped a 14-13 overtime thriller to No. 10 Nittany Lions to lose their first regular season game since the 2003 season.
The rollercoaster game featured six lead changes and saw the Tigers claw back from deficits of 11-10, 12-11, and 13-12 with Pillion scoring a goal with 2:40 left in regulation to force overtime. The overtime stretched into a third session before Penn State won the contest on a Kristen Burke goal at the 68 minute mark.
Afterward, Pillion asserted that she would have gladly traded the career-high scoring output for a victory. "I'd rather not score a lot of goals and have us win," said a subdued Pillion, who is one of Princeton's tri-captains. "I felt like our attack wasn't getting much of a flow. I just felt like it needed to be done. I tried to help us in every way I could."
Pillion acknowledged that the pesky Nittany Lions, who had recently toppled then-No. 1 Virginia, knocked Princeton out of its game.
"We weren't getting the draw controls, we weren't holding possession as much," said Pillion, who now has 10 goals on the season. "It was a combination of a lot of things. Penn State is a really good team and they played really well."
In Pillion's view, the setback, which snapped the program's 24-game regular season winning streak and a 20-game winning streak at Class of 1952 Stadium, could be a blessing in disguise.
"Hopefully this loss will help us learn that we have to take care of the little things," said Pillion, a native of Villanova, Pa. "We need more communication, better slides. We need to work together more. I feel like this could be a good thing."
With her team having started 3-0 despite some uneven play, Princeton head coach Chris Sailer feared a defeat was around the corner.
"We've been lucky at times in our first three games," acknowledged Sailer, who got four goals from senior star Lindsey Biles and one apiece from Mary Minshall, Courtney Bird, and former Lawrenceville star Katie Lewis-Lamonica. "I told the kids in some ways if we had won this game we would not have realized that you can't play like that and expect to keep winning."
Sailer pinpointed defensive lapses as a major concern. "We can't keep giving up eight goals in the first half," said Sailer, noting that the Tigers have now done that twice this season. "In the past, our average for a game has been less than that. We need better defending all over the field. We need to make plays, see what's happening, and have better communication."
The Tigers also need a more diversified attack. "Biles and Pills were fantastic and fabulous, but you can't have a two-person show all game," said Sailer, whose team was outshot 5-1 in the overtime periods. "That's an issue. We've got our work cut out for us."
In Sailer's view, the loss Saturday should get her team's attention. "I think it's definitely a lesson for us," maintained Sailer, whose 3-1 club is scheduled to host undefeated Columbia on March 22 to start Ivy League play before playing at defending national champion Virginia on March 26.
"Instead of continuing to play subpar and win games, I think this is showing us that we have to come out stronger. We need to be a bigger presence right from the start."
Pillion, for her part, believes that the Tigers will get the message. "I think you learn from the past," said Pillion. "It's easy when you win games and don't play well to forget the mistakes you made. It's a lot better when you lose, everything you do sticks in your mind. You move on and you improve."
Pillion, who also stars in soccer and helped the Princeton women's team make it to the NCAA Final Four this past fall, believes the Tigers can make another post-season run.
"I think we'll be OK," said Pillion, who has played in three Final Fours in her Princeton lacrosse career. "I feel like I want to cherish every game I play. It's been fun, hopefully it'll be a good ride."
