DOG DAY AFTERNOON: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Maggie Molnar, left, heads to goal in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, Molnar scored a goal in a losing cause as Princeton fell 16-8 to visiting Yale. The now-No. 21 Tigers, who moved to 4-4 overall and 1-1 Ivy with the loss to the Bulldogs, will look to get back on the winning track as they host No. 14 Stony Brook (9-2) on April 1 and Cornell (7-3 overall, 2-1 Ivy) on April 4. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

As the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team hosted Yale last Saturday in a critical early season Ivy League showdown, it appeared to be in a good place.

Coming into the clash of Top-20 teams in the Inside Lacrosse national poll who faced each other in the Ivy Tournament championship game last spring won by Yale 17-6, Princeton was riding a two-game winning streak, having posted impressive victories over No. 18 Penn State (14-11 on March 15) and Hofstra (20-9 on March 18).

With a raucous crowd of 617 on hand at a sun-splashed but windy Class of 1952 Stadium, the No. 19 Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead over No. 8 Yale on a goal by Maggie Bacigalupo. The rivals traded goals as Jami MacDonald, Meg Morrisroe and Maggie Molnar found the back of the net for Princeton to make it a 4-4 game early in the second quarter.

Yale responded with three unanswered goals and the Tigers looked to regain some some momentum as Ella Sloan scored on a free position goal in the waning seconds of the half. The goal, though, was waved off due to a violation and Princeton went into halftime trailing 7-4.

The Bulldogs started the third quarter with a five-goal run to break the contest open. Princeton kept battling in the fourth as MacDonald, Morrisroe, and Haven Dora scored goals down the stretch but it wasn’t nearly enough as Yale prevailed 16-8.

Yale, which came into the game allowing just 5.89 goals a game, stifled the Tiger attack as the Bulldogs forced 17 turnovers and held Princeton to 13 shots on goal while they generated 28.

The Tigers, now 4-4 overall and 1-1 Ivy, won’t have much time to lick their wounds as they host No. 11 Stony Brook (9-2) on April 1 and then resume league action by hosting Cornell (7-3 overall, 2-1 Ivy) on April 4.