MORE TO COME: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Haven Dora heads upfield in recent action. Last Friday, junior attacker Dora tallied two goals and three assists to help Princeton defeat Massachusetts 19-10 in the opening round of the NCAA tourney in Baltimore, Md. Dora’s three helpers gave her 101 assists for her career, to set a new program record, breaking the previous mark of 98 set by Kyla Sears. On Sunday, Dora chipped in one goal and four assists as the Tigers topped eighth-seeded and host Johns Hopkins 18-12 in a second round contest. The Tigers, now 16-3, play at top-seeded and undefeated North Carolina (19-0) in a quarterfinal contest on May 15 in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
After her Princeton University women’s lacrosse team got routed 17-6 by Yale in the Ivy League tournament final earlier this month, Jenn Cook acknowledged that the Tigers needed to do some soul searching as it headed into the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection.
“It is a tough lesson to learn right now but it is a new season next weekend,” said Princeton head coach Cook after that loss. “The focus is growing and being better and really understanding that we are stronger together when we are playing our systems both offensively and defensively and executing the pieces we know we are going to see.”
Facing Massachusetts last Friday in the opening round of the NCAA tourney in Baltimore, Md., the Tigers produced a strong performance at both ends of the field as they rolled to a 19-10 win over the Minutewomen.
Princeton reeled off an early 6-0 run to build a 9-3 lead in the second quarter and never looked back. The Princeton attack trio of McKenzie Blake (5 goals, 2 assists), Haven Dora (2 goals, 3 assists) and Jami MacDonald (4 goals, 1 assist) triggered the offensive onslaught.
Senior Blake and junior Dora made history in the process. Blake’s five goals gave her 78 this season, breaking Princeton’s single-season scoring record of 75 which was set by Olivia Hompe in 2017 while Dora’s three helpers gave her 101 assists for her career to achieve a new program record, breaking the previous mark of 98 set by Kyla Sears.
In the wake of the setback to Yale, Blake had sensed that the Tigers would rise to the occasion when they got to into the NCAAs.
“We just weren’t stringing things together like we normally do,” said Blake. “It is definitely a very late point in the season to be having this lesson. It sucks but I think people will be hungry after this.”
That hunger was displayed again last Sunday as Princeton topped eighth-seeded and host Johns Hopkins 18-12 to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
With the Tigers clinging to a 7-5 lead early in the third quarter, they tallied six straight goals to break the game open in improving to 16-3.
Blake scored eight goals in another historic performance as she reached 86 goals to break the Ivy League’s single-season goals record that stood since Francesca DenHartog of Harvard had 83 in 1981. In addition, her eight goals tied the program record for a single game and are the most ever by a Tiger in a NCAA Tournament game.
In addition to Blake’s output, Meg Morrisroe tallied four goals and one assist while Dora chipped in one goal and four assists and MacDonald contributed one goal and five assists.
Now the Tigers, who are making their first trip to the NCAA quarterfinals since 2019, will head further south to face top-seeded and undefeated North Carolina (19-0) on May 15 in Chapel Hill, N.C.